Pasts of the Titans: The Outsiders
by Raven's Shadow of Light
Summary: Gar goes on a trip to find people like himself. Teens that have powers and want someone to help them. But when crime reaches a peak in Jump City the Titans may need a little extra
1. Chapter 1

The Outsiders

Summary: After Gar 'Beast Boy' escapes from Robin he goes on a trip to find people like himself. Teens that have powers and want someone to help them. But when crime reaches a peak in Jump City the Titans may need a little extra help.

Ages:

Cyborg: 20

Jinx: 20

Robin: 19

Starfire: 18

Raven: 18

Garfield: 18

Changeling: 17

Chapter One:

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans

Raven closed her eyes, chanting her mantra under her breath, barely above a whisper. Anyone who stumbled onto the roof would think she was meditating and hopefully leave. Really Raven was thinking. Exactly a year had passed since the battle with Cameron and Changeling. Cameron was dead and Changeling still had a year of jail time left.

As for Gar, he had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. No one had seen a green man or any kind of green animal. Raven knew he was still alive but that didn't make up for the fact that she hadn't seen her best friend in almost year. A few times during battle she thought she'd seen a green flash above them on the rooftops but by the time the Titans were done fighting it was always gone. And Raven was always too occupied to search for an aurora.

Behind Raven the rooftop door opened slowly and Jinx's presence could be felt. Footsteps approached the half demon but she didn't move hoping that the sorceress would leave. Her hope was in vain. Jinx sat down next to her, wrapping her arms around her knees

"I know you're awake Raven." violet eyes opened and met pink

"Is there something you want Jinx?" Raven asked softly. The pink haired girl didn't talk to Raven much even after she'd become a full fledged Titan

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You've been kinda down lately… Actually you've been acting droopy for the past year. No sarcasm, no insults, and you haven't helped Cy with the T-car in six months. What's wrong?" Raven shrugged and lowered her hood with her powers. Jinx waited patiently for an answer

"You'd act a bit droopy if your best friend went missing." Jinx's eyes lowered to the concrete rooftop in embarrassment

"I'm sorry Raven, I didn't mean-." Raven shook her head slightly and gave the girl an oh so rare smile

"I know you didn't. And thank you for trying to help me. As for the sarcasm and insults, I'm saving the best ones for Gar when I see him again." Jinx smiled and looked up

"So… I was also wondering if you could teach me how to meditate. I mean Starfire does it and you always say it helps you clear your mind…" she trailed off as Raven smiled again

"Sure Jinx." she turned towards the ocean once more and waited while Jinx got comfortable "Now, close your eyes, find your center, and breath deeply. Clear your mind of any distractions, think of something that brings you peace." Jinx nodded and copied Raven's posture and breathing pattern.

Raven watched her for a moment before slipping into her own trance. She would never tell anyone what she thought about to bring her peace. In truth it was the image of Gar's gentle smile and laugh. But as time passed she found it harder and harder to see the image and she knew she was slowly forgetting him. She struggled to remember but all she could manage was the sound of him laughing.

Almost two hundred miles away in the run down streets of Gothem City the very person who Raven was struggling to remember was walking down a street, in the rain.

In Jump City green skin may be pretty conspicuous but here in the slums of Gothem anything was possible. Gar had already seen a man with a lizard tail sticking out from underneath his coat. He knew it was some side effect from a new drug that was going around but it still made him jump slightly.

Gar had been wandering the city for a few hours now trying to get his bearings. He sighed and switched his backpack to his opposite shoulder. The pack contained his new uniform, some money, and a empty soda bottle. He had figured that Gothem would be the perfect place to start looking for kids for the Outsiders but so far he'd met no one out of the ordinary.

As if to contradict his thought a pillar of fire shot out of a nearby alley and a girl ran out onto the street. Gar looked up as she headed his way. Fear was written all over her face as she ran

"Get her!" a male voice yelled. Three large and burly men were soon on the girl's heels and Gar was right behind them.

The girl glanced behind her then her pace doubled in speed. The three men in front of Gar were panting as they tried keep up. The girl ducked into a side alley but skidded to a stop when she saw the wall looming in front of her. She whirled back around to see the three man advancing. Gar hung back just a little bit

"Come on girlie, we don't want to hurt you." the girl didn't answer. Her eyes looked around the alleyway wildly then she spotted Gar

"Help!" she yelled in desperation. Instantly two of the men turned to see who she was yelling at, but at the same moment Gar's steel tipped boots connected with one of their faces

"Get him!" the biggest man yelled advancing on the girl once more. She screamed in panic. Gar flipped the other man over his back then jumped into the air kicking the leader in the head. He slumped over with a groan, releasing the girl as he did. Gar touched his shoulder making sure he still had his pack then walked over to the girl who was sprawled on the dirty ground

"You okay?" he asked extending a hand. The girl knocked it away and stood quickly

"Get away from me you junkie!" she said. Gar laughed slightly

"Chill out kid. I'm clean." the girl raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Gar smiled slightly showing off both fangs

"Do I get a thank you?" the girl scowled and Gar was reminded of Raven for a fleeting instant. He stepped back to look the girl over.

She was about fifteen or sixteen and tall. Almost taller than him. Her hair was jet black with silver highlights died in it. Her eyes were steel gray and bored into him. Her hands were covered in worn leather gloves that were missing the fingers from the middle knuckle up to her nails which were painted a orange color

"Was that you who made that pillar of fire?" he asked casually. The girl's eyes hardened but Gar could read the fear in them

"Who wants to know?" she asked sharply. Gar smirked. She was probably a street kid, they were smart and fast with their wit. He'd have to be gentle in coaxing her out

"Garfield Mark Logan. At your service." he said bowing with a flourish. The girl snorted and lifted one foot and before Gar could react she'd kicked him knocking the wind out of his lungs

"Then you can stand there while I get the heck outta here." she started to leave but Gar grabbed her wrist gently. She tried to punch him with her free hand but he caught it easily

"Look, I don't want to hurt you. I just want to talk." he released her and she stood still searching his eyes for a few seconds. Then she crossed her arms

"Alright." Gar started to say something but one of the men groaned loudly. He glanced at the other two then back at the girl

"Not here though. Follow me." he jumped up and grabbed onto the fire escape and nimbly climbed up onto the flat rooftop.

A few seconds later the girl came scrambling up after him. Gar was sitting down leaning against the low wall that surrounded the rooftop. After a moment she walked over and joined him

"So, who are you exactly?" she asked "I mean Garfield? hat has to be a fake name or something." Gar chuckled slightly

"Actually that is my real name. But I've gone as Beast Boy for the last five years." the girl's mouth dropped slightly

"You're Beast Boy?" she squeaked. Gar nodded slowly and the girl fell silent for a few minutes before speaking up again

"I heard you got kicked out of the Titans. What happened?" the changeling shrugged slightly and looked out over the Gothem skyline

"Some things came up. Some things about my past. Some things I just couldn't change." he shook his head ridding himself of the memories then looked at the girl "So who are you?"

"Jessica. Jessica Ralston. And to answer your next question I can shoot fire from my hands. But it's hard to control. That pillar wasn't supposed to happen."

"Well Jessica would you have any interest in coming to Jump City with me?" the girl raised an eyebrow waiting for an explanation "I'm trying to bring kids like you and me together. Teach them how to use their powers without being a danger to themselves and other people." Jessica twirled a strand of hair around one finger

"Like the Titans?" Gar shook his head

"No. Not like the Titans. They're a crime fighting team. This will just be a place where kids can stay together without being judged by other people. Until they're older then maybe they could become Titans or even join the JLA." Jessica looked the teenager over warily.

"But why?" Gar shrugged

"Because no one ever did it for me. I had to learn how to use my abilities on my own without help from anyone. I may not be able to tell you exactly how to control your powers but we can figure out a method that could help." Jessica nodded and stood, peering over the edge of the rooftop. The three men were gone

"Alright. I'm game but we have to pick up my friends first. They have powers too. Well one of them does. The other can kick butt though. He's got this suit he stole from someone."

"Okay. Where do they live?" Jessica scanned the area as if she was trying to figure out where she was from her position

"That way. Come on." she started walking towards the end of the roof but stopped when she saw the ten foot gap. Gar chuckled and morphed into a pterodactyl grabbing Jessica's shoulders gently in his massive feet. Then he took off following the girl's directions.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Still don't own the Teen Titans

(Titans Tower)

Raven blew the steam off of her tea gently as she stared out into the gray fog that had surrounded the Tower since this morning. She closed her eyes and after a moment could almost hear the doors opening. She could just about feel the familiar happy aurora that always assaulted her senses whenever he came in

"Raven?" a voice asked. A hand touched her shoulder and the girl whirled around almost spilling her tea. Robin was standing behind her looking worried

"What is it Robin?" she asked in a dry monotone that held anger behind it. Robin sighed and removed his hand from Raven's shoulder

"I just wanted to talk to you."

"I'm listening."

"Look, I know you still hate my guts for how I acted about… Beast Boy." Raven's face remained emotionless "I just wanted you to know that if I had a choice I'd let him go. He was my friend too Raven. And I hope someday you'll be able to forgive me for everything." nothing crossed Raven's face.

Robin had always been able to at least read her eyes. Her eyes, no matter how hard she tried had always betrayed some emotion. But now there was nothing. Just a hollow look.

Behind the two the doors slid open and Starfire floated in looking deep in thought. Raven looked up slightly then floated over to the girl

"Hey Starfire, would you like to go to the mall today?" she asked quietly. The alien princess looked at her friend in confusion. Raven rarely left the Tower anymore

"Are you feeling alright Raven? You have refused to come with me to the mall of shopping for months. Why do you wish to come now?" Raven shrugged her cloaked shoulders

"I just need to get out for a little bit." 'And get away from all these ghosts.' she added silently to herself. Starfire nodded in understanding then smiled

"I would very much enjoy your company. Why don't you go change and I will see if Jinx would like to come as well." Raven nodded and floated up through the ceiling in a black vortex.

Starfire glanced at Robin who was steaming from the half demon's sudden ignoring of him. After a moment she left the room without even speaking to her leader.

Jinx was filing her dark purple nails on her bed when Starfire stuck her head in. She looked up from her work and smiled at her friend

"Hey Star, what's up?" she asked patting the bed. Starfire entered the room but didn't sit down

"Raven asked for me to come to the mall. I was wondering if you would like to come."

"Sure Star. Let me change real fast and I'll meet you in the entry way." Starfire smiled and floated out of the room and down the hall to her own quarters.

Raven exited her room in a pair of baggy jeans and an old sweatshirt of Beast Boy's that was dark purple. She sighed as the faint aurora filled her mind. What she wouldn't give to see him again. Just to say hello and go get some pizza together. She sighed again and took the elevator down to the garage where Cyborg was working.

He looked up as the half demon walked in. He stopped buffing the T-car and put the rag over one shoulder

"Starfire, Jinx and I are going to the mall. Can you tell Robin?" the metal man nodded and patted the top of Raven's violet head gently. Only he could get away with that

"You guys need a lift? I just replaced the fog lights on the T-car and I'm heading into the city for work anyway." Cyborg still did odd jobs at the local garage. Raven smiled slightly

"Thanks. I'll go get the other two and we'll meet you outside." Cyborg nodded and got into the car.

Raven flew out into the entryway and saw Starfire and Jinx sitting in two large chairs chattering loudly. Starfire was dressed in jeans and a low midriff halter top. Jinx had on black jeans and a black stretchy shirt. Her boots were pink and she wore her bubble gum pink hair up in a messy bun

"Cyborg's going to take us." she explained before going out the door. She didn't notice her two friends exchange a worried glance as they followed and got into the car and took off across the water towards the bridge.

On the way home Raven admitted she had fun with the other two girls. Since Cyborg wasn't done at work they were flying home. Raven had already teleported their things to the Tower and had created a large black disk for Jinx to stand on. Although she was sitting with her legs dangling over the edge

"Trust me Star, you will look great in the outfit Rae picked out for you. Dark purple and silver are your colors. Pink is kinda iffy."

"I do hope so. I was planning on wearing it this evening when we go out for pizza." she turned her attention to Raven "Will you be coming Raven?"

"I guess Star. I think I just needed a little outing to bring up my spirits." Starfire smiled and Jinx stood on her disk and pointed in the general direction of the Tower

"Onward friends! Onward to our new clothes and then onward to pizza!" this made Starfire collapse with laughter so she was lying on her back in the air laughing. Raven cracked a smile and slowed the disk's speed to a snail's pace. Jinx frowned and pretending to be riding a scooter, revving the imaginary engine

"Come on Raven! I don't want to go at grandma's scooter's pace!" Starfire giggled at the joke and floated in circles around the crawling disk.

When they touched down Jinx ran into the main room where Raven had put their bags, nearly colliding with Robin in the process. A pile of mail was on the table

"Oh! Mail! Anything for me?" Jinx asked her attention on her bags distracted for a single moment. Robin nodded and tossed her two letters. One was from Gizmo and the other was from Mammoth. The two had joined up with the Titans East and sent letters after Bumble Bee told them the communicators were for emergencies only.

Jinx squealed happily and picked up her bags and left for her room. Raven levitated her bags in front of her but Robin's voice stopped her

"You got mail too Raven, no return address though." Raven raised a brow but took the letter carefully. Her powers detected no danger in the letter so she tucked it in the folds of her cloak to open when she was in the privacy of her room. Starfire took her magazines from the pile and picked up her bags leaving the room. Raven started to leave again but Robin called after her

"Raven, will you take Cyborg's car stuff down to the garage?" Raven nodded and finally exited the room unhindered.

Once in the safety of her room she hung up her clothes and placed Cyborg magazines on her dresser. Then she flopped down on her bed and opened the letter with a flick of her powers.

Out fell a penny on a leather piece. She picked it up carefully. The leather was long enough for someone to slip it over their head like a pendant. She frowned and picked up the letter

"_Dear Raven, I apologize for not writing sooner, but I've been pretty busy. Right now I'm in Gothem but I'm moving cities soon. I trust you won't tell Robin where I am._

_Anyway I found this girl named Jessica who has the ability to control fire. I met two of her friends but I'll tell you about them in my next letter. Anyway I've decided to create a place for teenagers with superpowers to come and hang out with each other while learning to control their abilities. Naturally no one will know about it and I'm thinking four or five will be the most I can handle. Then once they're older maybe they can go join the Titans or even the JLA. Once I get everything figured out I'll write you where I am and you can visit._

_I really miss you Rae. I wish I could come home and we could play video games or something. Even having you insult me would be nice._

_The penny is the one I found the day of the whole end of the world thing. I've always worn it since then. But I decided to send it to you so you'll never forget me._

_I'll write the next chance I get. Don't tell Robin about this and hide the letter. He knows Gothem like the back of his hand and I'm sure he could find me here._

_Tell Cyborg I miss him too, and tell him that Jinx likes him. I promised her I would. Don't let Star get all depressed and unhappy about me. Tell her I'll be seeing her soon, which I hope I will even if it might not be under friendly circumstances. I miss you Raven. I can't say that enough. I hope you're safe and sound. I'll talk to you soon._

_Your friend,_

_Gar."_

Raven's eyes watered slightly as she read the letter. Some parts of the last paragraph were slightly blurred from water, or tears. She smiled to herself and held the letter close to her chest for a moment. Then she put it back in the envelope and placed it in a locked box under her bed, alongside her magic mirror and poetry journals. As she shut the lock someone knocked on the door making her start slightly. Quickly she shoved the box back under her bed then hurried over to her door. Cyborg was standing outside

"Hey Raven, what's up?" he asked casually. Raven just ducked inside the room. Cyborg stepped inside. Cyborg was the only person allowed in the dark goddess's room and even then he always had to knock and stick his head in before fully coming in.

Raven picked up the magazines and handed them to him

"Cyborg, can you keep a secret?" she asked quietly. Cyborg's happy face turned serious and he stopped flipping through the magazines

"Course I can Rae. Especially if it's important. Not even Robin could pry something from me if I didn't want him to know it."

"I… I got a letter from Gar. He said he was in Gothem and that he was looking for kids. Kids like him, with powers. So he could help them." Cyborg nodded slowly

"You'd better not tell Robin that, he'd freak and think Gar was going to mess with their minds and force them to turn evil or something." Raven turned to the window then an image passed through her mind. A blonde girl with baby blue eyes and a dazzling smile. Hands outstretched. Hands that could bring life or death. Terra.

"He's helping them like he couldn't help Terra." she whispered. Cyborg cocked his head than patted her shoulder

"Maybe that's not why he thinks he's doing it. But I'm sure on some level that's why." Raven touched the metal hand on her shoulder gratefully

"Cyborg, do you need any help with the T-car?" Cyborg smiled and the two exited the room.

(Underground hideout in Gothem City)

Gar felt awkward surrounded by the large group of teenagers. Jessica on the other hand seemed totally at ease. She smiled and glared accordingly at different people.

Finally they came to a pair of boys who were arm wrestling on the floor. One had blonde hair and light blue eyes that seemed almost familiar. The other boy had a mop of brown curls and deep brown eyes. Both of them were straining to win but it was obvious they were evenly matched. Finally Jessica cleared her throat and they both looked up

"Oh, hey Jess. Who's your friend here?" the blonde kid asked flexing his hand wincing in pain. The other boy laughed shortly

"Guys this is Garfield. Garfield meet Jason and Conrad." the two teens stood up brushing small pebbles from the floor off their shirts

"Nice to meet ya." Jason said shaking hands with Gar. His hands were covered in thick, worn leather gloves

"Ditto." Conrad said coolly. Jessica rolled her eyes slightly and pulled the three of them into a far corner.

After quickly explaining why Gar was in Gothem and who he was the two quickly agreed to accompany him back to Jump City

"Jessica said that one of you didn't have any powers. We might have a bit of trouble getting there. I can only carry one person at a time." Jason smirked slightly

"No prob. I'll just summon another rock to fly them." Gar raised a brow

"You're a geomancer?"

"If that has anything to do with rocks then ya. I can control any kind of rocks, but sometimes it's hard." Gar nodded slowly

"Alright. What about you Conrad? Conrad?" the boy had disappeared. Jessica looked around for a moment then exchanged a glance with Jason

"He must be getting his suit. Come on we've got a meeting place. He'll probably go there."

The three teens sat on the rooftop waiting for Conrad to make an appearance. Jessica and Jason contented themselves to a thumb war while Gar paced up and down the length of the rooftop.

After a few minutes a figure flipped onto the roof. Gar turned around and his mouth dropped. Conrad was Red-X!

(So review and tell me what you think! And I also need an idea for two other teen with powers. Message me and tell me your ideas!)

Raven's Shadow of Light


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: Still don't own em. (If you don't know who I'm talking about you're a retard)

(Titans Tower)

Raven sighed as she finished off yet another sketch. The eyes were still messed up; no emotion was to be seen. They were hollow. She folded the drawing into a paper airplane then let it fly across the common room. It joined a pile of about twenty other attempted sketches that had gathered at the far side of the couch. She yawned and started over. Just one more…

"What'cha doing Rae?" a voice said in her ear. Raven's heart leapt into her throat and she turned around, breathless. That voice! It had interrupted her meditation or reading so many times she would know it anywhere. Behind her she could see Gar in his old Titan's uniform. His silver smile plastered across his face. He walked over and picked up one drawing. His green eyes studied it and Raven waited for him to say something. But instead his image wavered and slowly evaporated into thin air.

Raven sat up quickly. Her art pad had fallen on the floor along with her pencil. She sighed and held her face in one hand

"It… it was only a dream." she whispered to herself. Tears sprang to her eyes. She cursed in Azarathian and threw a pillow across the room with her powers.

Behind her the doors opened and Starfire stepped in as Raven sat back down on the sofa hiding her face in her hands

"Raven? Are you alright?" she asked floating over to her friend. The demon girl looked up and wiped her watery eyes quickly

"Ya, I'm fine Star. I was just thinking." the alien princess did not look convinced in the least but nodded and glanced at the pile of paper. Drawing had been Raven's new hobby for the past year

"Would you like me to throw away the rejections of drawings you have made?" Raven looked up again and took a moment to process the question

"Uh, no Star. I'm going to keep a few of them. I'll throw them out myself." Starfire smiled and floated over to sit next to her friend

"Raven, perhaps you would like to do the party of slumber with Jinx and I. We would be staying in Jinx's room as mine is too pink." Raven hid a smile and shrugged slightly

"I guess… ya. Ya, that'd be nice." Starfire smiled and clapped her hands in delight. Before she could start ranting though Robin walked in stretching his arms. Instantly the alien girl clammed up and grabbed Raven's pale hand

"Come, let us go prepare!"

"Starfire!" Raven protested in vain. The alien girl dragged her through the doors leaving a confused and clueless Boy Wonder.

That night Raven levitated some blankets behind her as she walked to Jinx's room. Cyborg was walking the same way and stopped her

"What are you doing exactly?" he asked when Raven acknowledged him with a glance. The girl sighed and gestured to her black pajamas

"Starfire decided that we were going to have a sleepover in Jinx's room. I'm attending only because… never mind." Cyborg smiled slightly and patted her head

"Well just to let you know Jinx really wants to be your friend." Raven nodded then a small smirk crossed her face as Cyborg started down the hall, his back to her own

"And she really wants to be your girlfriend." when the android teenager turned around the girl was gone from sight.

Raven chuckled to herself then knocked on Jinx's door. It slid open and Raven was instantly assaulted by the smells of lavender and lilac. She put her blankets and pillow on the floor then looked around for Jinx. The pink haired sorceress was in her closet, Raven found out because she stepped out of the large walk in area

"Oh hey Raven! Just put your stuff anywhere. I'll be right back." the girl hurried out of the room leaving Raven standing in the middle of the floor.

Jinx's room was black and purple. The walls were a deep shade of purple and black wall hangings were suspended from the corners and along the walls. Yet despite the dark colors the room was brightly lit by several hanging lanterns. The lavender and lilac smells were from a collection of candles by the window, which took up half a wall

"Do you just love it!" Jinx exclaimed walking back in balancing bowls, snacks and drinks in her arms. Raven nodded and helped her open the bags of food and put it in the bowls

"I like it. Dark yet light. Very nice." Jinx smiled happily and started mixing the sacks together. Raven took a bottled water and opened it

"Where's Starfire? I thought she'd be here by now." Jinx shrugged and looked just as confused as Raven was

"I dunno. I haven't seen her all day. Should we go check up on her?" Raven frowned then nodded. It wasn't like Starfire to disappear when she had plans.

The two girls walked down the hall and finally came to the alien girl's door. Jinx knocked then placed her ear to the door

"Star? You in here? It's me and Raven, are you coming to the party?" she called. Raven frowned and made a swift hand gesture. The door was engulfed in black energy and slid open.

Starfire was face down on her bed, her shoulders were shaking violently and she was hugging the pillow that her head was resting on

"Star? What's the matter?" Raven asked pulling down her hood. Concern for her friend was etched into her pale features. The girl looked up. Her face was blotchy and red from crying and tears were still making little trails down her face. Her green eyes trembled as she looked at her friends

"Oh friends! I apologize! I must have lost track of time. Please give me a moment and I will change and then we-."

"Star, what's wrong? Why were you crying?" Jinx asked cutting her off. Starfire's gaze turned to her blankets. After a minute of silence Raven touched both their shoulders

"How about we all go to Jinx's room and we can talk." Starfire nodded reluctantly and the two left her alone to change.

The silence in Jinx's room was awkward. Starfire kept sniffling, Raven was staring into space and Jinx was glancing from one girl to the other

"Okay someone say some thing! I'm getting freaked out here!" this earned a small laugh from Starfire and a smirk from Raven

"Okay, Star. What was the matter? Why were you crying?" Raven asked gently. The girl's smile faded and she looked down at her pink nails

"I… was talking with Robin and we exchanged angry words. I asked him why he kicked Gar out when he let Jinx who was a former thief join so readily." she glanced at Jinx "I mean you no offence though friend Jinx." the girl waved a hand

"None taken."

"What'd he say Star?" Raven asked quietly. Starfire's eyes brimmed with fresh tears and she looked at the ground before answering her friend's question

"He said… that the team… the team was better off with Jinx… with Jinx as a member than with Gar." Raven's blood boiled as anger flowed through her veins

"He said that!" she yelled. The other two girls looked at her and she calmed her temper. Starfire nodded

"Yes, he did. I told him that at least Gar was a true friend who did not ignore me and hide in his room trying to find someone who is dead."

Starfire burst into new tears as she finished speaking. Jinx did her best to soothe the crying girl while Raven just stared at a wall. An image passed in front of her vision

_Robin and Gar were sitting at the kitchen counter talking. Then their voices got louder. Finally Gar halfway stood and yelled at the masked Boy Wonder:_

"_Look, I came back because Raven was hurt. As soon as I know she's better I'm outta here and you can stay up til' dawn trying to figure where the heck I am. Just like you did when Slade was around. And," he was fully standing now. Robin had a birdarang out and hidden under the table "you can go break Star's heart while you do it. But when you do expect a violent call from me."_

_Gar stormed out the door leaving Robin standing in the middle of the room with an open mouth_

"Raven! Snap out of it!" a voice yelled. Someone's hand was in front of her face barely an inch from touching her nose. She jerked out of her trance and shook her head.

She wasn't in the kitchen. She was in Jinx's room. And she wasn't watching Gar and Robin. She was looking at Starfire and Jinx who both had worried expressions on their faces

"Are you alright friend? Your eyes… they turned green for a moment." Raven shook her head again ridding herself of the images

"I'm fine Star. Just a little tired I guess. I've been staying up longer than I normally do lately." she lied. The two girls shrugged.

Starfire's sadness was forgotten as the girls ate snacks and teased Jinx about her crush on Cyborg. They played a quick tournament of chess which Jinx won. Raven was actually enjoying herself. Music played softly in the background and she soon found herself holding back tired yawns.

Then a song came on and Jinx squealed loudly and turned the stereo up slightly

"I love this song!"

A woman's voice played through the speakers. It was the same song that Raven had heard in the cave when she had stayed overnight with Gar

_------_

_I was alone in the dark. Let down by God. Closed the curtain on my heart. So the world could not see all the demons in me. Told myself I was free. _

_And you showed me… how wrong I could be_

_------_

Raven's eyes filled with tears. She instinctively reached for her hood but she wasn't wearing her cloak. Images of Gar's smiling face assaulted her mind.

_------_

_Now I'm standing on a mountain of rubble that once was a wall. Took years to build around me. And you came along and you tore it down like it was nothing at all. Now it's a little scary… Learning to fall._

_------_

Jinx started humming along and was soon singing softly. Raven fought to push away the memories but she couldn't.

_------_

_When you looked in my eyes. Past the fear and false pride you saw goodness inside. I can't believe how I feel I believe love is real and I'm ready to heal_……

_And you showed me how right I can be._

_------_

Starfire was listening intently and neither girl noticed the tears that were flowing down Raven's cheeks. The girl's eyes were squeezed shut and she strived to block the images from her mind but in vain.

------

_Now I'm standing on a mountain of rubble that once was a wall. Took years to build around me. And you came along and you tore it down like it was nothing at all. Now it's a little scary learning to fall._

------

As the song started to end Raven absently wiped her face off but kept her eyes closed. Whoever was giving her these images would pay. Dearly.

-------

_I was holding on. Now I'm letting go. I was holding on. Now I'm letting go. I was holding on Now I'm letting Go_…………

_Now I'm standing on a mountain of rubble that once was a wall. Then you came along and you tore it down like it was nothing at all. Now it's a little scary. Learning to fall_…………

------

Finally the song ended and the other two girls turned their attention to some food and more chatter. Raven wiped off her face again and opened her eyes. Gentle silver light blocked her vision for a fleeting moment. Then a voice that could only be one of her emotions whispered across her mind:

"_Don't be afraid Raven. Just because of what happened the first time, do not doubt your feelings. You said you trusted him. Do you trust him enough?"_

Raven shook her head and went over to where Jinx was helping Starfire spread out her blankets to create a bed. Then she turned to her own makeshift bed. She refused to sleep on her king sized bed and 'miss out on all the gossip' Raven smirked slightly and spread out her own black blanket carefully before lying down and listening to Jinx and Starfire chatter. Occasionally she joined in but mostly she just listened.

Meanwhile in Nevermore the silver cloaked emotion Gar had met about a year ago smiled a little. Raven would have to come to term with her feelings sooner or later. But hopefully for both her and Gar's sake it would be sooner rather than later…

(What'cha thinks? On a scale of one to ten? I think maybe a six. And I don't own that song which is the same one I used in Past Mistakes. R and R!)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: Same as last time. Don't own em. Never will.

(Caves just outside of Jump City)

Gar sighed as he felt the wind blow through his hair. One leg dangled off the side of a cliff while the other was tucked up into his chest. His cloak lay beside him, folded neatly.

His long pointed ears twitched as the gravel crunched behind him. He turned slightly and saw Jason walking over to him

"Hey." he said quietly. Gar turned back to the sight of the bay and the distant Titans Tower

"I thought you guys were finding a cave we could all stay in."

"We were. Jessica found a perfect one. But after we found it I was wandering around and I saw this statue of a girl. I was wondering if you knew who it was." Gar nodded

"Terra. About two years ago she met up with the Titans. But they found out that she couldn't control her powers so she ran away. A madman named Slade found her and tricked her into betraying the Titans over to him. She tried to kill… them but… Beast Boy convinced her to stop and turn against Slade. She stopped a volcano she triggered but got turned to stone."

"I thought you were Beast Boy." Jason replied trying to make light of what Gar had just told him. The changeling shrugged

"I was. But I've changed. I'm not a happy go lucky kid who acts like an idiot all the time." Jason sat down and looked sideways at Gar

"So… why are we all the way out here? Why not some where in the city?" Gar looked across the wide stretch of earth

"Because, 1) if I'm even seen in Jump City there will be police crawling all over the place 2) no one will be hurt if your guys' powers get out of control and 3) there's plenty of earth for you to practice with around here." Jason nodded slowly but couldn't help feel that there was more to the story that Gar wasn't telling him.

Across the bay and near the city a sudden cloud of smoke rose from some explosion. Gar half stood then sat back down. It wouldn't do to risk his cover just now

"Hey! Gar, Jason! You guys gonna help us or what?" Jessica's voice yelled from somewhere below them. The two teens got to their feet and made their way down the rocky slope with extreme caution. One misstep and you'd fall about five hundred feet before smashing into a large collection of boulders.

Jessica was standing at the end of the slope with her hands on her hips. Jason jumped the last few feet landing lightly on his feet and starting for the caves with Jessica chasing after him

"Show off!" she yelled. Gar smirked and cast one longing look back at the far away Titans Tower before disappearing into the cave.

(Next Day)

------------

Sweat beaded on Jason's forehead as he lifted and threw several large boulders at some crude targets Gar had painted on the canyon wall. They fell about five yards short

"Aw man!" the boy groaned. Gar said nothing from his position with the other two. Conrad (who I will now refer to as X or Red-X) and Jessica were waiting their turns for target practice

"Come on Jason you can do it!" Jessica cheered. The rocks glowed yellow once more and lifted into the air. Jason tried to throw them again but they still fell short

"Maybe you should try something a little smaller." Gar suggested. Jason wiped the sweat out of his eyes and shook his head

"No, this is what you gave me and I'm gonna do it! Ha!" yellow powers circled around the boy's gloved hands and he made a violent thrusting movement with his hands. The boulders lifted into the air accordingly and smashed into the brightly painted wall. Small pebbles fell from the top of the wall and there was a soft scream as the chasm wall shuddered from the impact. But from the way the other two congratulated Jason with enthusiasm only Gar had heard it. He frowned and looked at the three teenager who were still praising Jason

"You guys can take a quick break. Meet back here in half an hour." he said briskly. The three nodded and took off to the cave where they were staying.

Gar took off his cloak and folded it carefully. Then he took the form of an eagle and with a flap of his wings, was soaring up to the top of the wall. His mind was calculating who might be out here. It was dangerous unless you had source of protection. Wild animals roamed the caves and were dangerous to a normal person.

Gar reached the top of the cliff then turned back to normal. He got a glimpse of a girl with long brown hair and cat like yellow eyes before he felt his strength suddenly leave him. He groaned and fell backwards down the cliff. The last thing he saw was the girl pass out and he felt something catch him in midair.

"Gar! Come on! Wake up!" a voice murmured. Someone else said something and the voices stopped. A hand touched his chest and instantly his body coursed with energy. He sat up hopefully. But it was not Raven who was standing beside him. It was the girl he had seen. Her cat like eyes bored into his own greens ones

"What happened?" he demanded. From behind the girl X pulled off his mask and wiped the sweat off his face. The mask was hot and it was almost ninety degrees outside making it about eighty-five inside the cave system. Jason and Jessica came over as well looking worried but relived to see that he was alright

"X's scanners on his suit suddenly went nuts about some electric surge. So we ran out to tell you but then we saw you falling. Jason made a ledge out of the wall to grab you before you hit the ground. Then he and X scaled the wall and found her." Jessica said jerking a thumb towards the girl who's face was impassive

"She was passed out on the rocks and we couldn't figure out what happened. So X tried to pick her up but his suit went crazy again so Jason had to get her."

Gar lifted himself halfway off the floor and rubbed his head. Then he looked at the girl critically, she returned the gaze but it was spacey as if she didn't really see him

"Who are you?" the girl's voice was deadpan and it reminded him almost of Raven

"Robyn."

"What did you do to me? I remember… flying up the wall and then I was too weak to stand." a small smirk crossed the girl's face

"I drained you." all four of the other teenagers stared at her with anime question marks above their heads. Gar frowned

"Drained me? Like stole my energy?" the girl nodded and her eyebrows drew together slightly as if she was studying him

"You scared me. How often do you see a person suddenly appear over the edge of a cliff?" Gar chuckled slightly and stood all the way. His head spun but a quick shake fixed that problem

"So, do you mind telling me why you haven't commented on the fact that I'm green yet?" he asked jokingly. To his surprise Robyn's face turned angry

"I'm blind." she hissed through her teeth. Gar's wristwatch started smoking and X's belt started beeping furiously. Robyn's face turned impassive again but her unseeing eyes held hate

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." the teenager snorted and flipped her blonde hair over one shoulder

"Ya, so is everyone else." then Jessica spoke up

"But if you're blind how'd you see Gar?" the yellow eyes found her and her lips curled into a sneer

"I can see electrical auroras. Everything contains electricity so my powers create sort of a picture for me to 'see.'" all four of the Outsiders looked at each other

"You have powers?" Jason asked breaking the silence. Robyn clamped her hands over her mouth and started for the entrance of the cave but Gar changed into a cheetah and blocked the path

"Wow, calm down." he said turning back to normal "You're among friends trust me. All four of us, well except for X, have powers." Robyn's brows knit together once more

"What do you mean?" her eyes darted from Gar, then to Jason, then to Jessica, then to X, then repeated the pattern a few times waiting for Gar to answer

"Well for instance, Jessica can throw fire from her hands. Jason can control earth, X's got a suit and he knows some martial arts. I'm green and can turn into animals."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Gar just smiled and moved to unblock the way for her to leave. She looked at the entrance then back at him

"How do we know we can trust you?" Robyn's eyes held confusion and slight irritation "Look, you can go but if you want to come and find us. You can stay with us if you'd like."

Robyn cast a glance around the cave then looked at Gar with a serious expression. He smiled slightly hoping she could see it with her way of seeing

"I'll think about it." she started to leave then turned around "And don't worry about me finding my way back here. Yours is an aurora I can not forget." she said pointing at X.

With that she was gone. Gar watched as she leapt from rock to rock, nimble and as sure as a mountain goat. Jason walked over and stood next to him

"She's kinda strange." he commented. Gar shrugged and smirked down at the shorter boy

"Ya… but so are you."

Jason nodded missing the insult in the comment. He was staring after the girl.

------

(that night)

------

Gar yawned and walked into the enveloping darkness of the cave. He was dead tired after taking a quick run around the area

"Gar?" a voice from the darkness whispered. Gar's vision quickly altered and he made out X's form standing nearby. He held a finger to his lips and pointed outside. Gar nodded.

Soon the two were outside sitting on a ledge talking. Since X was seventeen he was closest in age to Gar but the changeling could tell he was still very insecure about himself

"I was wondering… are we going to… maybe fight with the Titans? I mean, the crime rate has really gone up. They're getting called out like everyday." Gar sighed heavily

"I'd really like to X but I can't. Robin would have me in jail faster you could blink. I would like to but I don't see how we can."

"Well I do." Gar gave his friend a confused look. X smiled and pressed a button on his belt. Instantly he disappeared and reappeared on Gar's opposite side in an instant

"We can wear these. Then once we're done fighting, presto! We're invisible and we can get out of there before the Titans can arrest you, or me for that matter."

"It's a good idea but where are you going to get the parts? We don't exactly live at the mechanics store and we can't steal it." X waved a hand

"There's a friend of mine on the other side of town who owes me some favors. He specializes in mechanical stuff. I'll go down there tomorrow and ask him for the parts."

It took an hour but finally Gar was convinced of the idea. The next day X would head into town while the others went to look for a better cave to stay in where they could see what was happening in the city.

X soon headed back inside while Gar stayed outside. He pulled a pad of paper from the folds of his cloak and leaned back to write in the moonlight.

(Thank you to the Halfa Wannabe she gave me the idea for Robyn! Thak you so much!


	5. Raven's BDay

Chapter Five

Disclaimer: Still don't own them.

(Titans Tower)

(One month after Chapter Four)

Raven twirled in a circle in front of the full length mirror in Jinx's room. Behind her the pink haired girl clapped

"I like it. You needed a change of uniform. I mean your eighteen so that means you should do something special." Raven smiled in response and looked over her new outfit.

It was a sleeveless silver dress with had a long V neck and spilt in the side all the way up to her thigh. A pair of flared black pants kept anyone from seeing anything when she flew in battle. Over this she wore her traditional blue cloak. Her boots had been changed as well. They were now blue with black and silver buckles. Her hair had also been cut. The length was a bit shorter and her bands were a bit more ragged looking. It gave her a look of confidence and made her look much different but a good kind of different

"Thanks Jinx. I couldn't have done it without you." Jinx just waved the compliment away then looked at her watch

"Well, should we go and see what the others are up to?" Raven nodded and they left the room.

Starfire bustled around the main room putting the last touches on decorations. Black, purple, blue and white balloons and streamers decorated the area and in the kitchen Cyborg was putting the last touches on a large birthday cake. Who's birthday is it? Well… I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count.

The doors opened and both teens looked up. Jinx was standing there with a shocked Raven. Her violet eyes looked around the room and they filled with tears

"Raven! You are not supposed to be back yet!" Starfire exclaimed in dismay. Raven smiled and laughed into her hand

"Jinx! You were supposed to keep her at the mall for as long as possible!" Cyborg said angrily with an undertone of whining in his voice. The girl laughed slightly

"Cool your spark plugs buddy, just be glad I didn't actually tell her what you all were planning. I was ready to go crazy carrying that secret around all day."

"Well I really am surprised. I didn't think you'd go to all this trouble." Raven said lowering her hood. Everyone's mouth dropped then she remembered her hair

"Raven, you look… amazing." Cyborg breathed. Jinx elbowed him in the side and he made a face at her. She retaliated by thumping him in the head

"Yes, Raven you look wonderful." Starfire said smiling. Raven blushed at all the attention and looked around the room. Her face fell slightly. She didn't think Robin would forget her birthday. She really didn't care much but it hurt all the same. Starfire noticed her look and her mood darkened if only for a moment

"Robin said he had something important to do but he would be coming later." Raven nodded then from somewhere on her left music started pounding out of the speakers

"Come on everyone! Let's dance!" Jinx yelled putting her hands in the air and swaying her hips in a circular motion. Cyborg's jaw dropped and Raven closed it for him

"Yes, come Raven. You must dance. This is your eighteenth birthday!" Starfire squealed grabbing her friend's wrists. Raven gave a little sound of surprise as she was dragged out onto the living room floor. The sofa had been moved to make a small dance floor. Along the walls there were tables of food

"What's all the food for? There's only four of us." Raven asked. Cyborg grinned evilly and pressed a button on his arm

"Did you really think we were the only guests?" he spoke into his arm communicator "Okay guys, come on out!" the doors on the side of the living room opened and the Titans East pored in along with several other honorary Titans members including, Kid Flash, Hot Spot, Wildebeest and several Raven barely knew

"You look very nice Raven. Save a dance for me?" Kid Flash asked kissing her hand and winking. Raven blushed lightly and smiled

"Sure… Wally." the teen's face fell and he glared at her

"That isn't fair."

Raven laughed and said hello to Bumble Bee who had recently hooked up with Speedy (I really don't like this pair, it's just for the fic) and Aqualad. Mas and Menos both gave her a large bouquet of flowers and gibbered something in Spanish that Gizmo translated as: A wonderful eighteenth birthday to a wonderful friend and teammate.

Gizmo and Mammoth both hugged Jinx until she looked like her head would pop off. When they finally set her down she elbowed Raven

"Show everyone your new uniform." Raven flushed a little but unbuckled her cloak and set it in a corner. When she emerged from the shadows everyone looked up. Her dress caught the flashing lights of the disco ball (Cyborg had to have one!) and her violet eyes shined in the light of the dance lights.

Soon everyone went back to dancing and Raven gave Kid Flash his dance. She had to admit dancing was one thing he could do without speeding through it

"You look nice Raven. I haven't seen you in some time." Raven smiled and glanced around the room. Robin still had not showed up. Kid Flash lifted her chin slightly

"Hey… I was sorry to hear about Beast Boy. He was a good friend. And personally I think Robin needs to get his head out of the evidence room once in awhile. That place gives off fumes that aren't healthy." Raven smiled a little bit more. Kid Flash might be a little bit of a klutz but he was a nice guy (NO he does not like her!)

"That you. I really miss him though." Kid Flash nodded and let her go as the music stopped. Cyborg was standing in front of the cake with a large knife

"Okay everyone! It's time for cake! And Raven, you have to cut it." the empath sighed in fake annoyance then walked over and took the knife. Quickly slicing it into neat even squares she used her powers to pass them out. Everyone waited as she got her own, Starfire wiggled as she took her sweet time taking the first bite

"Come on Rae! We're hungry!" Gizmo whined. Jinx shot him a glare and he quieted. Raven smirked and quickly put the fork in her mouth. Everyone dug into their cake about half a second later.

The evening was almost perfect. After the other heroes left the Titans gave Raven her presents. Starfire and Jinx chipped in and had gotten her a large collection of candles and incense for her room. Cyborg had gotten her a couple of new books and a blue and black iPod. Raven smiled as she scrolled through the songs her friend had already downloaded.

Robin still had not appeared. An hour passed and the Titans watched a short funny movie together. He still had to make an appearance. Starfire and the others started to clean up with Raven helping them with her powers. Suddenly the doors slid open and Robin walked in breathless. He looked crestfallen when he saw the clean up party

"I missed it?" he asked. Everyone nodded and he looked around. Raven was sitting on the couch which she had just replaced

"Raven? I am so unbelievably sorry that I missed your party. I was out looking for a gift and I guess I lost tract of time." Raven stood and looked down at the hastily wrapped present in his hands. Then she looked back up at her leader with small tears in her eyes. He smiled trying to figure out what was wrong. Starfire watched, not in the least jealous. She understood the deep friendship Raven and Robin shared. And she also knew that Raven would never even consider taking Robin when Starfire mad it clear she liked him

"T-Thank you." she whispered opening the gift. Everyone gathered around the couch as she undid the ribbon carefully.

Inside lay a plain white book. She looked at the book then at Robin in confusion. He hurried to explain

"It's a diary. I know you're always writing poetry but I thought maybe you'd like a diary instead." he rubbed the back of his neck. Raven smiled and looked up at him

"Thank you Robin. Thank you very much." the Boy Wonder smiled. It was the first time in over a year that Raven hadn't acted totally hostile at him.

Raven sat in her room flipped through songs on her new iPod and reading the instructions at the same time. The set of candles and incense had been placed around her room and the extras had been put in storage in her closet. The evening had been almost perfect. _Almost_ being the key word. Everything would have been perfect if Gar had been here. All she had was his letter that she had read hundreds of times and could probably recite by memory now. But at least she knew he was alive and well.

Raven sighed and got up to undress. She started to pull down the zipper of her dress when she heard a loud tapping noise outside her window. The half demon whirled around and to her surprise saw Gar sitting on the bed behind her. He was grinning slyly at her from under his green hood. Raven's mouth dropped but in a moment she was hugging him for all she was worth

"Nice to see you too Raven, but can you put me down?" Gar said in a hushed tone after a moment. Raven blushed when she realized the two of them were floating in the air

"I missed you so much." she whispered throwing her arms around his neck. He smiled and returned the hug as tight as he could

"I've only got about fifteen minutes before I need to get back." Raven looked up at him with confused eyes

"Get back? Back to where?" Gar smiled and pointed out the window to the small mountain range where he was hiding out

"To the others. Remember I wrote to you about Jessica and her friends? Well one of them is Red-X and the other is a geomancer."

"Red-X? I thought he was a thief." Raven commented. Gar shrugged slightly as if he didn't want to think about it

"I think he wants to play the hero now. But I want to tell you something and give you your birthday present." Raven sat down on the bed with him and watched as he looked over her dress

"It's my new uniform. Jinx helped me pick it out." Gar smiled slightly and looked up at her. Raven's eyes watered as their eyes met

"It looks very nice on you." Raven smiled a little. Somehow this was not Gar. It was a person she knew next to nothing about. But he knew all about her and it made her nervous

"So, what did you want to tell me?" she asked tucking a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. Gar smiled again and squeezed her hand

"That you might be seeing a little more of me in the next few weeks. Once we get settled into our new place I promise I'll tell you where we are so you can visit."

"How long will that be?" Raven asked softly as Gar rose. He shrugged

"I don't know, a week maybe."

Raven bit back tears and hugged her old friend once more. He ruffled her hair gently then walked over to the window. Raven followed, he opened it and prepared to step out but he turned back towards the Gothic princess behind him

"I'll be seeing you Rae." he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before jumping out of the window and turning into a bird. Raven watched as he did several flips in the air on his way across the cove. She pressed a hand to her cheek and sighed slightly. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out Gar's lucky penny. She slid it over her head carefully. It rested in the hollow of her collarbone perfectly. She touched it lightly then crossed the room over to her closet and undressed then slipped into bed. Her sleep was peaceful and dreamless. But a small smile crossed and stayed on Raven's pale face.

In Nevermore a silver emotion smiled at several others. Green, Pink, Gray, and Yellow were all watching the event with dreamy eyes

"He really likes us. Doesn't he?" Timid whispered. Knowledge nodded and patted the emotion's head gently

"Yes, I think he truly does."

(Okay First off I know in the first chapter I said Raven was already eighteen but I changed it. Third of all I want to thank all of you for your reviews. They help me keep going even when I feel like this is all pointless. Fourth off I need some help with Life Changes. If you have any ideas or encouraging remarks please R and R that story. Thank you. Merry Christmas. God Bless America and the World!)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans or the song Falling from Chapter Three

(The Outsiders hideout)

Jessica threw down a card and smirked as the two boy's faces fell. X threw down his cards in disgust while Jason merely laughed and glanced at the direction Gar had gone

"You think he's okay?" he asked as Jessica gathered up the cards carefully. The girl shrugged and dealt out a new hand

"He's probably fine Jason; you need to stop worrying so much." X smirked slightly and shook his head

"Worrying is sometimes a good thing Jess." he said looking at his hands. To his surprise the cards were not there. He frowned and looked around

"Hey! What in the world?" Jessica yelled as the deck in front of her disappeared. Jason stood as he felt a rush of wind go past him

"Dude, what in the heck is going on here?" he yelled as the cards disappeared and reappeared. Suddenly a boy about his age appeared behind Jessica

"That would be me." his image wavered then he disappeared again only to reappear over X's shoulder

"Course you probably can't see me." he vanished again and Jason could see a trail of dust moving from place to place

"Who are you?" a voice asked. Jason growled and his hands glowed yellow. The boy reappeared and pretended to look scared

"Oh so you have powers, man I'm shaking in my boots." he laughed and instantly ebbed away again. Jason and the others looked around wildly then gasped when X fell backwards out of the cave and onto the ledge with a grunt. About twenty feet below him was the practice area. He flipped forward onto his feet and looked around for the threat

"Looking for me?" the boy asked appearing and then taking off down the cliff side. He was running so fast that he just went up and down both sides in the space of a few seconds

"Jessica, get him." Jason yelled. The girl smirked and fire appeared around her hands. The boy's face went slightly pale and he had to run back down into the practice arena to dodge the blast

"Alright, if you're so eager to fight how about you come down here?" X smirked and jumped down landing lightly. He threw an X-weapon at the boy who instantly caught it

"Not bad but you'll have to be faster than that." His eyes opened wide as a boulder flew at him. He ducked and barely missed getting splattered against a wall.

Jason lowered his glowing fist and glared at the boy who was panting and looking at the boulder in shock. He turned back around and yelped. X threw a punch but missed

"Missed me. Nope, over here. Missed again." the boy said as if he was trying to taught X. Soon though the caped teen was doubled over in exhaustion and Jessica took time to examine this stranger. He was a little shorter than her with reddish brown hair. His eyes were light blue and kind. His clothes were skin tight. The bottom half was red and the top half was yellow with a red lightning bolt on it. A yellow mask covered the top half of his face but let his eyes show. On the sides were two red lightning bolts. His hands were covered in red gloves much like Robin's

"Jess, look out!" Jessica snapped out of her trance and saw a red and yellow streak heading for her. She threw out both her hands and fire blocked the boy's path. He skidded to a stop and found his path blocked by a wall of solid earth. Jason walked through the wall and crossed his arms. The boy sighed slightly

"You do know I can vibrate my molecules through solid objects right?" he started to run again but he couldn't move his feet. The wall of earth and fire disappeared and Jason smirked

"Don't waste your energy. You're standing in quicksand. The faster you move the faster you sink." the boy's eyes widened as he struggled to free himself. The sand was already up to his waist and rapidly working its way up to his lower torso. Jason's hands glowed yellow and he stopped sinking

"Who are you?" he asked lowering his hands "And why did you attack us? We weren't even doing anything." the kid didn't answer just continued to struggle. His hands were starting to get stuck now. He grunted in effort then sighed and looked up at Jason who was watching him with raised eyebrows

"Jason, stop him from sinking already." X said sounding as if he had only just gotten his breath back. Jason rolled his eyes but obeyed

"You know… you look familiar." Jessica said cocking her head slightly. The boy stared right back at her. His eyes held nothing but innocent playfulness

"Kid Flash. That's who I am. Fastest boy alive." the boy said after a moment. Red-X frowned and crossed his arms

"You're a Titan. Aren't you?" the boy shrugged slightly

"More or less. Why?"

"No reason. Jason can you pick him up and bring him into the cave?" Jason nodded and raised a hand. The quicksand flowed out of the ground and formed a tight ball around Kid Flash's lower half. He sighed and rested his head on one elbow looking bored. Red-X fired a grappling hook at the top of the wall and let it pull him up. Jessica used two long pillars of fire as rockets. Jason just lifted a bolder and flew up to the top.

Once in the cave Jason lowered the quicksand down into the earthen floor then sat down on a small cot and amused himself by making rocks float around his fingers. Kid Flash crossed his arms and hummed loudly while looking around the cave. Jessica leaned against the wall and watched him intently. Red-X sat on the ground and started tinkering with some pieces of metal

"You know you could just let me go. I'm not leaving." Jason snickered and twitched his fingers. A rock flew at the boy who moved his head out of the way quickly

"Ya right, like we're really stupid enough to believe that." he muttered. Kid Flash just shrugged and continued to look around with interest

"So you three live here?" Jessica nodded "All by yourselves?" the girl shook her head and the teen hero raised an eyebrow

"There's someone else who lives with us and we're waiting for him before we do anything." as soon as she finished speaking X got up and looked outside the cave. Then he began pacing

"Where is he? He's been gone all day." he muttered under his breath. Kid Flash perked up slightly then scratched his head

"So… to answer your earlier question: I attacked you because… well actually I was just trying to joke around with you but when you started attacking me I fought back."

"You punched Red-X first. He didn't do anything to you." Kid Flash smirked slyly and held up one finger

"He tried to. He was reaching for a weapon, so I hit him before he could throw it." suddenly there was a loud skidding sound and Gar ran in with his cloak over his face

"Where've you been?" Jessica asked giving him an evasive look. The man shrugged then spotted Kid Flash who still looked bored

"What are you doing here?" he asked. The smaller teen jerked a thumb at Jason who was still twirling rocks around his hand

"Your little friend over there figured if I was in quicksand I couldn't get free. And as long as this stuff stays liquid I'm stuck." Gar laughed and flipped his hood down

"Figures you'd get yourself into a fix like this Flash." the boy shrugged and the other three looked at Gar with anime question marks

"You know him?" X asked taking off his mask and wiping sweat from his eyes. Gar nodded and motioned for Jason to release the high speed hero.

Once Kid Flash was free he proceeded to take a quick run to get all the quicksand off of him. A moment later he was back, leaning against the wall watching Gar

"So… what now?" he asked carefully. Gar shrugged and unbuckled his cloak tossing it onto a large protruding rock

"I dunno, you can go turn me in to the Titans or you can let me go." Gar said. Jason sat up the pebbles thumping him in the head

"You can't let him take you Gar! No way!" he shouted. The ceiling shuddered slightly and Kid Flash looked up at it nervously

"Calm down Jason. I'm not going anywhere, not even Kid Flash can catch me if I don't want to be caught." the boy snorted and crossed his arms

"Only because you turn into a fly and I can't see you." he grumbled. Gar chuckled and leaned against the wall closing his eyes

"So, what's it gonna be Speed Feet?" he asked quietly. Kid Flash looked at the other three teens that looked ready to kill him if he even tried to capture their leader

"I'll leave you alone. Well not exactly. I'll make you a deal."

"I'm listening."

"You let me visit you every now and then. I'll even bring some food and stuff so you guys won't be bored out of your minds." Gar raised an eyebrow

"And what's in it for me?" he asked. Kid Flash smirked and leaned over to whisper something in the changeling's ear. After a moment Gar nodded

"Alright. You got a deal." the blue eyed teen smiled happily

"Cool, I was getting bored all by myself."

Jessica smiled at their new found friend. He smiled back with kind eyes and she couldn't help but blush. Red-X just grunted and continued with his tinkering. Jason however glared at the exchange between Jessica and Kid Flash. It made him feel kinda funny in the chest area. Like a monster was inside him

"Well I gotta go. Anything you'd like me to drop off?" he asked looking at Gar. The changeling nodded and slipped a white letter into his hands

"Make sure she gets it. If you loose that I will make sure you pay for it." Kid Flash smiled and nodded. He waved to the other teens and in a flash was gone.

Jessica peered out of the cave at the yellow and red streak zipping across the boy waters. She sighed a little then went back into the cave to join her teammates.

(Titans Tower)

Raven allowed herself the smallest smile as she breathed in the salty ocean air. A slight wind had picked up and blew her hair out to one side. Suddenly Kid Flash was standing in front of her. She screamed a little and threw a shield over herself. The boy simply vibrated through the dark energy and tapped her shoulder

"Chill Rae, it's me. Jeez don't have a heart attack." Raven looked up and glared at him. The speedster just smiled at her and held out the letter while bowing

"This is for you Milady. It's from… a certain friend of mine." he said when he spotted a security camera looking their way. Raven took the letter carefully and Kid Flash winked at her

"Thank you." she turned to leave through the door then paused and looked back "I guess I'll be seeing you a little more?" but Kid Flash was already gone and she could see his trademark streak heading towards the city. She smiled and looked at the letter in her hands. A faint but familiar aurora surrounded it. She tucked it into her cloak then made her way to her room.

(What'cha think? I know it's kinda cheesy to have Kid Flash in there but I just saw Lightspeed and I really liked his character. I'm even considering doing a KFxJinx oneshot. Tell me what'cha think)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans

_Dear Raven, a lot has happened since I last wrote you. We met another girl who said her name was Robyn. She had some kind of electrical based powers. And she's blinds but she says she can 'see' by looking at electrical auroras. Whatever that means... Anyway Kid Flash dropped by and agreed to relay letters to you. He'll come by on Friday to show you where we're hiding._

_This is kinda awkward since I did that… thing on your birthday. But I think we should wait until we're face to face to actually talk about it. Jessica, Jason, and X can't wait to meet you and I'm sure you know I can't wait to see you either. There's something that's been bothering me and I hope that maybe you can help._

_Until Friday, I hope you stay safe and be careful. And don't let Robin get any of you down._

_Love,_

_Gar._

Raven read the short letter slowly then folded it carefully and pressed her lips together. Something was bugging her. Gar seemed worried about something. But what? Cameron was dead and Changeling was in jail although Raven knew that the two had reconciled and were friends to some extent now.

But what if there was more? What is it wasn't just Cameron? What if there was someone else and they were going to…

Raven shook her head violently then floated down the hall after making sure the letter was well hidden. Then she opened the doors to the main room and looked around. Cyborg and Jinx were playing video games on the sofa with Starfire cheering them on. She sighed and exited the room, no one noticed her come in and leave.

Raven walked briskly down the long hallway then paused at the door to the evidence room. It opened and she could barely make out the rows of captured items and newspaper clippings. She walked down the aisles searching for Robin. He was standing at a desk in one corner of the room. He didn't look up as she approached

"I'm not hungry Star, I'll come down for lunch later." he said flipping through several stacks of paper. Raven crossed her arms

"First off I'm not Starfire. Second off it's not even eleven yet." the masked teen turned in his chair and looked up at Raven

"Oh hey Raven, did you need something?" Raven nodded and sat down in mid air so she was at eyelevel with her leader

"I need the frequency to Kid Flash's communicator." Robin cocked his head but shrugged and quickly hunted down a pen and a scrap of clean paper

"Any particular reason you need this?" Raven quickly took the scrap of paper and set her feet back down on the floor

"Nothing that concerns you Robin." she said as her body turned black and sank into the floor. Robin stared at the spot for a moment then shook his head and returned to his work.

Raven locked her door and muttered a spell to keep anyone from opening it. Then she flipped open her communicator and tapped in the code of numbers Robin had written. Soon a voice on the other end of the link picked up

"Hello?"

"Kid Flash? This is Raven." she said to the boy's image. He smiled happily and waved slightly

"Hey, what's up?" he asked

"I need to ask a favor."

Gar blocked a punch that Red-X swung at him then morphed into a tiger. The former thief flipped away from his large paws and pulled out a weapon from his belt. He threw it and it trapped the changeling to the nearby canyon wall. Gar turned into a human and laughed a little. Red-X smirked

"Sure, didn't see that one coming." he said as X pried the weapon from the wall. Or rather tried to anyway

"Obviously." a monotone drawled. Gar looked up and felt his heart stop. Two figures stood on the top of the canyon wall.

One was obviously Kid Flash since it was the exact silhouette of a teenager. The other was a figure of about medium height. A distinct sent of lavender floated into the canyon

"Raven!" Gar yelled. Red-X looked at Jessica and Jason who both shrugged helplessly. Kid Flash's figure disappeared then he was leaning against the rocks next to Jason. Raven's figure floated into the canyon. Gar ran over and hugged her tightly. The girl laughed as he lifted her off the ground

"Sit, Garfield." she said pressing a hand down on his head. "Good boy." the changeling laughed and turned into a dog and started barking loudly

"Would someone mind telling me what's going on?" Jason asked. Raven looked up and her eyes widened. Gar turned into a human and touched her hand

"Rae? Raven? Are you okay?" the girl shook her head and smiled lightly

"I'm fine."

Gar turned to the three Outsiders and smiled. They all looked at him with raised brows. Finally Jessica spoke

"So who is she, your girlfriend?" Raven's face flushed and Gar rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly

"No, guys this is Raven. She's from the Titans." he saw X touch his belt lightly finally seeing the resemblance

"So what are you doing here?" Jason demanded his gloves surrounded by a yellow glow. Raven turned her attention to him

"I'm here to see Gar. And don't worry, I'm not telling the other Titans about this." the three younger teens looked doubtful but finally relaxed.

Gar smiled and hugged Raven around the shoulders "I've missed you Rae. It's not as fun when no one throws me out of windows constantly."

Raven rolled her eyes playfully "Well if you missed it so much." her eyes glowed white and Gar's whole body was engulfed in a black mist

"Raven, I was kidding!" he yelled as he started floating. The girl smirked and set him down

"So was I."

Gar rolled his eyes then introduced the three teenagers to Raven. She nodded to them then watched as they went back to training with Kid Flash joining in

"They're good." Raven commented watching Jessica and Jason exchange blows. Gar glowed with pride

"Ya, Red-X taught them most of the martial arts moves but we're working on strategy."

Raven nodded "Jason…"

"I know. He's never said anything about her though. I figure if there was anything he wanted me to know he'd have told me by now."

"Gar, why are you running?" Raven asked softly. The changeling looked at the ground and sighed deeply

"I dunno Raven. I guess it's because I don't think I did anything wrong. But… I'm just not real sure to be perfectly honest with you."

"Well…" Raven leaned against a boulder and looked at him "I want to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

Raven paused "Why did you kiss me the other night?" she whispered softly. The changeling turned bright red and tugged at the collar of his shirt

"Uh… I… that is…" he stuttered. Raven cocked an eyebrow and Gar sighed angrily but before he could continue Raven's communicator started beeping wildly. She flipped it open

"Raven! We need your help! It's Cinderblock, Overload, and Plasmas." Robin's voice squawked. Raven nodded and snapped the link shut

"I've got to go." she said. Gar nodded then looked behind him where the practice area had fallen silent. Jessica, Red-X and Jason looked at them

"I finished the devices Gar." X said quietly. Gar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Raven crossed her arms waiting for an explanation

"Alright. But get in and get out. Nothing more. Understand?" the three nodded solemnly. Kid Flash tugged on Raven's sleeve

"Come on are we going or not?"

"Yes."

The two took off and were out of sight in moments. Jason summoned three rocks then looked at Gar

"You coming? I can drop you off on a roof."

"Alright."

(I'm sorry this took so long. I was very busy over the holidays so I couldn't update. Once again sorry and review please. And can anyone tell me what AU fics are?)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight (Kinda short)

I don't own TT

Robin punched threw a freeze disk at Cinderblock managing to encase the stone giant's arm. Cinderblock roared and swung angrily. Robin flipped out of the way almost tripping over Jinx who was busy using her hex powers to trip Plasmas. An orange streak flew by and a few water hydrants burst and water flew into the air

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven yelled. The water turned black and dumped itself on Overload. The crackling monster screeched in pain then turned on Raven.

Just as the electric charged arm swung at her a pillar of fire flew at the creature. Overload stumbled backwards then roared again

"Hey Jess! Check me out!" Jason yelled. Cinderblock's whole body glowed yellow and he spun in the air as Jason twirled his hands.

Red-X flipped out of the way of Plasmas' flying sludge then threw a bomb at the bubbling zit. A cloud of green gas erupted and when it cleared a sleeping man was sprawled on the street

"Look out!" a voice yelled. Overload sent a bolt of lightning at the thief. His masked eyes widened but then the bolt flew the other direction.

Robyn stepped out from an alley. She leaned against a building heavily. Overload growled angrily

"You dare defy me child?" he yelled. Starfire swooped in and battered him with her starbolts but they had no affect. Robin looked at the girl who was squinting at the monster

"Ha!" she grunted. Her body crackled with yellow energy and Overload's form shrunk. Finally he was nothing more than a computer chip. Robyn slumped to her knees. Red-X ran over and picked her up. He gave a signal and he and the others disappeared leaving a confused group of heroes and three subdued villains

"Who were they?" Starfire wondered aloud. Raven frowned and glanced up at the rooftops. She spotted a piece of green fabric flapping in the wind

"I dunno but they were good." Jinx commented, she blew a bubble with her gum then popped it

"Let's go back to the Tower. We can look at these people there."

Robin nodded and the group headed for the T-car. Kid Flash glanced at Raven who was watching the rooftops with attentive eyes

"Coming Raven?"

Red-X put Robyn down gently on a cot. The girl moaned a little but as far as they could tell had just passed out

"What do we do with her?" asked Red-X. Gar shrugged and reached out to feel the girl's pulse. It was steady and strong

"She should wake up in a little bit. Let her rest for now." he said then flopped down on the ground. Something bothered him about the fight. The villains were subdued all too easily. And they were working for someone. The three monsters were stupid and when they attacked anywhere it had to be directed by someone.

The three Outsiders watched as their leader slipped into a restless sleep. Jessica put a finger to her lips and the two boys nodded.

Robin rubbed his chin looking at each photo of the three teenagers. Beside him Cyborg leaned back in his chair yawning slightly. The three girls were meditating in front of the window

"Have you learned anything Robin?" Starfire asked floating over between the two boys. Robin didn't reply

"Not really Star. As far as we can tell one has fire powers, one has earth powers and the other is Red-X. We're not really sure about that blonde girl." Cyborg reported

"So in other words we don't know if they're good guys or bad guys." Jinx said popping her gum with her tongue. Raven still meditated

"Well… Red-X is… a former thief. But the last time we met up with him he helped us escape from Dr. Chang. So we're not sure on him."

"They helped defeat Cinderblock, Plasmas, and Overload." Raven commented. Robin spun in his chair for a moment then pursed his lips

"I guess so. Next time we see them let's try to talk with them. Maybe they can help us."

Robyn's eyes flickered open. She blinked a few times then looked around carefully. Four auroras burned in her electric vision. She shook her head and in a few more minutes she could identify them. The Outsiders; Gar, Jessica, Jason, and Red-X

"Hey, she's up!" a voice yelled

"Shut up!" Robyn growled. Someone chuckled nearby. It sounded like Gar. Robyn made a note to shock him late today

"You feeling better?" a voice asked. It was Red-X

"Little bit." Robyn replied.

The three young teens told Robyn what happened in the battle then went around to making some lunch. Red-X pressed a sandwich into her hands then sat down to eat near the cot


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Gar tossed violently then sat up gasping for breath. Blackness enveloped him but with his senses it didn't matter. He could make out the figures of the other teens in the cave. Red-X was leaning against a wall his chin tucked into his chest. Jason was sprawled out on his back snoring loudly; Jessica was sleeping soundly on her cot a few feet away. Robyn was asleep on her stomach one arm brushing the cave floor. Seeing that no one had woken up because of his sudden awakening Gar wiped sweat off his forehead

"Chill Gar, it was only a dream." the changeling told himself. He lay back down and closed his eyes but they flew open seconds later. In a flash he had grabbed his cloak and strode out of the cavern fumbling with the clasp. He finally closed it then picked up a piece of paper. He scribbled a quick note onto it then took off in the form of an eagle.

Raven was a light sleeper. She had been after Cyborg had attempted to play a practical joke on her when she first joined the Titans. The metal man had been seeing stars for two weeks.

So when something brushed her cheek she immediately shot up. A hand covered her mouth gently. She looked around and saw _Gar._ He put a finger to his lips and she nodded

"What are you doing here?" Raven demanded as the shape shifter removed his hand from her mouth

"I need to talk to you." Gar whispered urgently. Raven stifled a yawn and glanced at her clock. It was almost four in the morning

"And why did you have to pick such an ungodly hour? I was coming over later anyway." Raven replied irritably. The changeling stood and paced around her room as she awoke fully

"Raven… I hate to… confide all this to you. I know you've got problems of your own and you sure don't need mine." he paused. Raven drug a sweatshirt over her tank top and threw a force field over her self as she struggled into a pair of jeans. After that she lowered the black wall and sat on her bed watching Gar pace

"You might as well tell me what's wrong. Or I might decide to throw you out the window for waking me up so early."

Her comment drew a small grin from the changeling. But it faded in an instant. Raven was reminded of herself almost two years ago. She got up and made Gar stop pacing

"Just tell me Gar. I'll do what I can to help." she said softly. Gar sighed and raked his fingers through his still sweaty hair

"It's nothing. I just have… this feeling that something bad is gonna happen."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno. I'm just worried. And I keep having these dreams… Cameron comes and…" Gar trailed off and shook his head riding himself of the images

"Gar, Cameron is dead. He was cremated. We all saw to that. Why are you so afraid?" Raven asked looking up at the green teenager.

He took her hands in his own and squeezed them "I… I just don't want anything to happen… to you. And if something does happen I dunno if I could do anything."

"Gar, stop it!" Raven scolded "What happened to the optimistic, happy go lucky, jokester I used to know? Why are you so different?" Raven's voice took on a pleading note

"I'm sorry." Gar whispered releasing Raven's hands "I shouldn't have come." he turned to go but Raven's powers lashed out and closed the window

"Don't run away Gar. I want you to answer my question." Raven demanded. Gar turned to her and for a moment Raven felt afraid he would still leave

"Raven, I don't know. I'm not sure of anything anymore. I just want everything to be normal. I want to wake up and be able to argue with Cy about breakfast. I want to tease Star about her crush on Robin. I want to annoy the Boy Wonder until he's ready to pull his hair out. And…"  
the changeling paused. His voice dropped "I want to be able to sit on the roof with you and just talk. I want to have you chase me around the Tower because I interrupted your meditation. I want to see you everyday, whenever I want."

Raven started to retort but Gar had leaned down and pressed his lips against hers roughly. His arms wound around her waist pulling her close to him. Raven's eyes closed and she reached up and wound her fingers through his unruly green hair. She lifted herself a few inches off the ground so they were almost at eye level.

Gar pried her lips open and began exploring her mouth. Raven moaned a little and met him with her own tongue. For a few moments they danced in and out of each other's mouths until they finally broke away for air. Gar was panting and Raven gulped in the sweet oxygen. After she'd caught her breath she looked up at Gar.

Suddenly she tore out his grasp and took a few frantic steps backwards. Her knees hit the edge of her bed and she collapsed into a sitting position. Gar didn't look nearly as shocked as she was

"Raven, are you okay?" he asked softly kneeling in front of her. The Goth nodded and pressed a hand over her mouth trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Fact one: Gar had kissed her. Fact Two: She'd returned the kiss. Fact Three: She'd enjoyed it. And finally and most importantly, Fact Four: Nothing had blown up or exploded.

"Raven? Speak words." Gar was saying. Raven shook her self out of her stupor and looked up at him. He met her gaze calmly

"What… what just happened?" Raven whispered softly

"Uh… I… kissed you."

Raven nodded dumbly. Why was she acting like such a… dope? Gar didn't seem fazed by the concept at all. But then he was the one who had started it.

Raven cursed under her breath. She shouldn't be feeling like this. _He_ shouldn't make her feel this way. They were friends… right?

Raven touched her mouth again. She could feel the passion and feeling Gar had put into the kiss. It still pulsed through her empathic senses

"Raven do you want me to go?" Gar asked softly

"No."

Without a thought for his own safety the changeling sat on the bed and gently pulled Raven into his lap. Surprisingly she did not protest

"I guess now you know why I kissed you on your birthday." Gar murmured into her ear

"I guess so." Raven replied.

She looked up at Gar and finally gave into her heart's tugging. She leaned into his chest and let him hold her tightly

"Love you Rae."

"Same."

They sat there for a few more minutes just enjoying each other's company. Then Gar pecked Raven's chakra

"I gotta go. I'll be seeing you." he got up and stood by the opened window. Raven pulled him into a quick kiss before he leaned out the opening and disappeared from view.

Robin chewed on the end of his pen as he glanced over the security cameras. Everything was quiet.

Then a flicker of movement caught the Boy Wonder's eye. It was in Raven's room. Robin focused the camera and a frown crossed his face. Two forms were standing close together. One was obviously Raven and the other… Robin took off down the hall. He could be wrong. Maybe his imagination was playing tricks on him. He'd know for sure in a minute.

Quickly, with shaking fingers he tapped in the override code into the door consul. It slid open slowly.

Raven was putting a belt on around her waist as he stepped into the dark goddess' sanctuary

"What are you doing?" Raven asked in a cold voice

"I should ask you the same thing. Robin retorted looking around the room with an evasive eye. He took a slow step forward

"I couldn't sleep. I was just going downstairs to make some tea. So will you please get out of my room?" Raven snapped pulling the hood of her sweatshirt over her face

"Why? Because Gar," Robin spat the name like a curse "Was in here with you?" he took a few more steps into the room.

The half demon glared at him "Out." she ordered

"Why?" Robin growled

"I want to be alone." Raven whispered turning away. Black power sparked through the air in the room but Robin ignored the warning and advanced again

"I saw you on the security cameras."

Go!"

"Don't lie to me!" Robin grabbed Raven's wrist harshly "I know what I saw."

"OUT!" Raven screamed.

Black and white power crackled in the air like tiny peals of thunder. Four red eyes burned under the shadow of Raven's hood as she lost all control

"You're the one who kicked him out! None of this would've happened if you hadn't been such a thick headed idiot!"

Robin backed out of the room but Rage followed "Raven stop! Get control of yourself!" the masked teen yelled. Rage ignored him and continued to advance on him.

Down the hall Starfire, Jinx, and Cyborg ran into view. Cyborg skidded to a stop then gave orders "Star, grab Robin. Jinx, help me calm Raven down."

The two girls leapt into action. Starfire flew in front of Raven, scooped Robin up and then flew around the corner out of view.

Cyborg felt a shiver of fear go down his spine as Rage turned her blood-red gaze on him and Jinx. Her red cloak flapped around her body angrily while tentacles of power curled on the floor

"Raven, listen to me. You gotta calm down. Please just calm down so we can talk." Cyborg coaxed

"The mortal will pay!" Rage growled. Cyborg looked at Jinx who was shaking from her head down to her boots

"Knock her out Jinx." Cyborg ordered. The young witch was happy to comply. Pink waves flew at the enraged girl. They hit dead on. Rage's four red eyes wavered then slowly turned to two tearful purple ones. Cyborg caught Raven's limp body as she collapsed

"It's gonna be okay Raven." Jinx murmured.

Raven shook her head and stood on her own "No, it'll never be okay again." she looked up at Cyborg "We're a broken family."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Raven sat on the sofa trembling as she meditated, attempting to repress Rage. The furious emotion battled against her wall but finally quieted.

Raven's real eyes opened and looked around at the other Titans

"Raven, are you…?" Starfire trailed off

"I'm fine." above Raven a light bulb crackled then shattered showering the girl with broken glass. Robin stopped his pacing and looked at the half demon

"You sure don't look it." he commented. A strip of black power made the lights flicker on and off crazily

"Robin, sit down and shut up." Jinx ordered. The Boy Wonder obeyed seeing the angry light in the witch's eyes

"Calm down Rae. Ignore him. Just tell us what's wrong." Cyborg said in a comforting voice. Raven didn't respond.

Her mind was struggling to bottle up the access power that coursed through her body. Inside the kitchen there was a muffled explosion and the smell of smoke drifted into the living room

"I need to be alone." she said getting up. Starfire reached out to stop her but a wall of black power blocked the movement.

Cyborg watched in silence as Raven ascended into the ceiling through a black vortex. Then he turned to Robin who was pacing again

"What in the world did you say to her? She would've killed you. Or Rage would've if we hadn't heard her yelling."

I didn't do anything to her!" Robin retorted angrily, he prayed the others wouldn't see through the lie

"Raven does not loose her temper so easily anymore Robin. Nor does she allow her demon side to take over without a fight." Starfire pointed out quietly

After ten minutes of arguing Robin finally told his team what happened. The three listened then were silent for a bit. Then Jinx got up and promptly slapped the masked leader across the face

"What was that for?" Robin asked rubbing the side of his face. A red mark in the shape of a hand was beginning to appear on his cheek

"For saying that to Raven, she still misses Gar no matter what she says."

"He's a criminal!"

"And you're Mr. Perfect. Let me tell you something Robin." Jinx placed both her hands on her hips "Whether you want to admit it or not you deserve to go to jail more than Gar. You designed the Red-X suit and used it to beat up your friends and steal things. At least Gar was honest."

"He ran from us!" Robin retorted

"With good reason!" Starfire exclaimed "You treated him like a common criminal not a friend who has saved countless lives including your own! He left because he wanted to protect us from Cameron! He didn't want us to get mixed up in the things of his past! And you…" the alien trailed off in a line of Tameranian gibberish

Should we stop her?" Cyborg asked looking down at Jinx

"No, it's about time someone told him off."

The android shrugged and went into the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast.

Two hours later found Starfire and Jinx knocking on Raven's door

"Go away!" a muffled voice yelled

"Raven, we only want to talk with you. Please allow us to enter."

The door opened a crack revealing a pale face.

"I don't want company right now. Go away." Raven hissed. Her voice was barely above a whisper and it was riddled with sadness and anger

"Raven dear, open the door and let them in." a soft voice called from inside the room

"Ya open it." a low seductive voice said.

Raven cursed but obeyed the voice and opened the door. Starfire and Jinx's mouths dropped as the door opened to let them enter.

Four Raven look-alikes all stood in a circle around a fifth harshly breathing Raven look-alike. Her purple eyes were riddled with hate and had a slight red glint to them

"Um… guys this is Timid, Knowledge, Lust, and… uh Love." Raven introduced "And I think you know Rage already."

The five emotions were all dressed in Raven's outfit of black jeans, a tee shirt and a studded belt. But Timid had a gray shirt on, Knowledge a yellow, Lust a deep purple, and Love a silver shirt

"Okay… now I'm really confused." Jinx said scratching her head

Raven sighed "It's… complicated."

Jinx nodded looking around with a cocked eyebrow. Timid was hugging herself tightly, Knowledge was holding Rage with her powers, Lust was looking through a book with a small enticing smile on her face, and Love was sitting on the bed thumping her leg against the mattress nervously

"Why are they here?" Rage sneered. Her face twisted into an evil smile making both girls shiver in fear

"Shut up Rage." Lust snapped looking up from her book. Despite her jutted out hip and flirty posture it was obvious she felt no fear of the angry emotion who snarled at her

"Don't you tell me what to do you slut." Rage growled smirking as Lust's face turned red and her powers crackled.

Timid stepped in front of Lust and tried to manage a glare "Stop fighting! You're not helping Raven." she said in a squeaky voice

"Thank you Timid dear." Love said softly

"No problem." the girl stuttered

Raven rubbed her temples and looked at Starfire and Jinx "Don't tell anyone about them, especially not Robin."

"No worries Raven, out lips are sealed." Jinx said with a smile "Besides, we're all really ticked at Robin for being such a jerk to you."

Raven flushed and looked away "It was my fault. My nerves have been on edge lately and I should've been meditating."

"Oh hush Raven." Lust said resting her hand on one of her hips "You and-." a band of power clamped over Lust's mouth keeping her from talking. Rage chuckled as she clawed at the gag

Knowledge sighed and released Rage who sat on the bed looking smug. Lust finally got the gag off and looked ready to kill her fellow emotion

"Stop it!" Timid screamed. Everyone looked at her in surprise. Raven, Jinx and Love were holding Lust back and they all fell over in surprise

"Look, fighting isn't solving our problems. We came out to discuss important… things and we should do that instead of acting like immature children."

Rage's mouth fell open then she regained her composure and smirked "Well Timid; seems I'm rubbing off ya."

The nervous emotion gave her a glare then sat down on the carpet.

(Kinda a pointless chapter, I know. Next chapter will introduce our new villain! Yahoo! And the Titans and the Outsiders will meet face to face soon I promise! Until next time God Bless and send me any oneshot ideas!)


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Gar flipped over barely dodging a blast of electrical energy that Robyn sent his way. She had a new outfit consisting of black jeans, a yellow shirt, black gloves with yellow designs on them and a new name to go along, Powersurge. It really fit her.

"Come on Gar. What's the matter?" Robyn taunted

"I don't wanna get fried." the changeling replied slipping out of his cloak while Robin caught her breath.

Using her powers was tiring so they were working on endurance. She had also told them (the Outsiders) that draining a person usually made her pass out. So they also were working on finding ways to use her electrical powers as an actual attack

"Heads up!" a voice yelled.

Two rocks flew into view. One carried Jason and the other was glowing a brilliant yellow color. Gar watched him for a moment and resolved to talk with him today.

While his attention was averted Robyn sent a blast of energy at him. He morphed into a rabbit at the last moment and hopped out of the way, his tail getting singed in the process

"Hot, hot, hot!" he yelled turning into a human and rubbing around the canyon frantically.

The other teens all fell over laughing. Robyn even smiled.

"This is embarrassing." a monotone said. Everyone looked up as Raven floated into the canyon.

Today she wore jeans, a tee shirt, and her traditional cloak

"Hey Rae, how's it going?" Jessica called. She let the flames fade from her hands as she walked over to where the girl landed

"Not much, Gar can I talk to you for a moment?"

Gar nodded and followed her out of earshot

"Uh, this doesn't have to do with… last night does it?" he asked nervously "Cause if I does…" he trailed off

"It has nothing to do with that. I was wondering if you would mind me taking Jessica and Robyn to the mall. If they're up to it that is."

"Sure! I don't mind and I know Jess is dying to get away from this place for a little bit. X's been working on a communicator so he can give that to one of them."

"Alright, perfect." Raven said with a smile. She started to walk away then turned to Gar "About last night… I really didn't mind at all. I was just… a little shocked is all."

"I understand. You go tell the girls. I think me and the boys are gonna call it a day." Gar paused then lowered his voice "I was going to ask Jason about… her."

Raven nodded and touched his shoulder "I'm sorry we never found a way to bring her back."

Gar shrugged and watched as Raven talking to the girls.

Jessica gave a yell of excitement and Robyn just nodded slowly. Raven smiled and in a flash of black power the three of them disappeared.

He chuckled and approached Red-X and Jason who were sitting in the shade of a hovering boulder "Guys I think we're gonna call it a day."

"Okay. I'm going to go work some more on another communicator." Red-X said getting to his feet. He fired a grappling hook to the top of the canyon and flew out of view.

"You know he's not a bad guy; just a little independent sometimes." Jason commented flicking a hand. The boulder above him landed softly on the ground

"I know, he never seemed like a real bad guy when I fought him." Gar fell silent as he flew to the top of the canyon carrying Jason with him. Once they were at the peak he set the boy down and morphed back to normal "Jason, can I talk to you?"

"Sure Gar. What about?"

"Did you ever… have any family before I found you? Any parents, brothers, sisters?"

"Ya, I had a sister. But she ran away about four years ago. Why?"

Gar tried to steady his breathing "What was her name?"

"Terra."

Gar nodded wordlessly and slung his cloak over his shoulder "Jason, come with me. There's something I want to show you."

The two teens traveled through a winding series of tunnels and ripped open doorways. Finally they came to the spot. Here the opening was cleared but cobwebs were strung from floor to ceiling. Gar pushed through them and Jason followed a little confused. At the end of the cavern was the dim outline of a statue of some kind

"Did you ever hear from Terra after she ran away?" Gar asked looking around the dim area

"No, she just disappeared. I was looking for her when I met Jessica and X."

Gar nodded and approached the statue. The roses he'd left the last time he was here were wilted pitifully. Dust and cobwebs covered the statue. Gently he brushed it clean

"Hey, look at this." Jason exclaimed kneeling. His fingers touched the outline of the memorial. His lips moved slowly then he read the words out loud "Terra. A Teen Titan. A true friend."

"She was my best friend. We actually went out for a few months. Then… Slade convinced her to switch sides. She betrayed us."

"No! Terra would never do anything like this!" Jason exclaimed. His hands glowed and the layer of rock above them shuddered

"Unfortunately Jason she did. I've never really forgiven myself for it either. She tried to apologize and explain but… I brushed her away. Having her just throw away my trust like that hurt more than anything I've ever felt." he touched the stone girl's face softly "About six months after that she appeared again. This time she was working directly for Slade. She nearly killed us all. But for some reason she turned on Slade. She killed him and accidentally triggered a missive volcano. She stayed behind and managed to stop it."

"But got turned to stone." Jason finished, tears filled his eyes as he stared at the statue "I remember one thing she told me before she left. About our powers. 'We're not freaks. We're just different. We can do anything we want with our powers. We can bring life… or death. It's up to us.' I never really understood what she meant. Now I do."

Gar nodded and placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder in silent comfort.

Jessica flipped through racks of tee shirts with a small smile on her face. Her long black hair swung like a living thing as she looked at clothes. Robyn had been hesitant about looking. Most people forbid her from entering the stores because of her strange looking eyes. But being with Raven and Jessica made her feel a little braver

"You guys getting hungry?" Raven asked walking over with a small bag in one hand "Lunch is on me."

"Sure, I haven't had a hamburger in ages." Jessica exclaimed finally settling on a red tee shirt with a black flame emblem on the front

"Sounds good to me." Robyn agreed looking wistfully at a studded belt. She didn't have any money

"You like?" Raven asked looking down at her

"Ya."

"Don't buy it. I've got a ton at the Tower. More than one person should probably have. I'll give you a couple."

Robyn smiled a little at the older girl "Thanks Raven."

"No problem. Now to the food court!"

Soon the three girls sat at a table munching on hamburgers, French fries, and sipping Cokes

"Life is good." Jessica announced

"I've got no complaints at the moment." Robyn agreed. She stuck a fry in her mouth and chewed slowly.

Suddenly a powerful aurora entered her vision. Robyn's hand flew to cover her eyes even though she knew it would make no difference

"Robyn? You okay?" Jessica asked shaking the girl's shoulder

"No." Robyn groaned.

Raven frowned and leaned over the table. The very tips of her fingers glowed white and she touched Robyn's eyes gently. The harsh black aurora died down but still made her squint

"You saw that?" Raven questioned

"Ya. Who was that?"

Raven's eyes glanced around the food court then pointed across the large area. "Him. He calls himself Shadow."

The boy was tall. Black hair and silver eyes. His clothes were all black except for his jeans which were dark blue and a little baggy. He glanced in their direction and smiled flirtatiously

"Shadow." Robyn said slowly. She rubbed her eyes then turned to Jessica "Maybe we should find out if he has any powers."

"He does." Raven interrupted "He can control darkness as a form of energy."

"And how do you know this?"

"I'm telekinetic. I read his mind." Raven replied sipping her drink nonchalantly.

The two girls looked at each other and smiled

"Think you can arrange a meeting tonight?"

(Okay kinda random there at the end but Shadow is gonna be a cool character. Just let me figure everything out K? Please be patient with me)


	12. Dance Floor

Chapter Twelve: Dance Floor

Don't own the Teen Titans

Gar fiddled with his holorings and glanced around. Raven stood beside him, Red-X and Robyn were a few yards ahead of them and Jessica and Jason were only two people behind them

"You ready?" Raven asked nudging him in the shoulder

"Ya, I've been here before. Kinda cool place really."

The 'place' was an all night dance club called Dance Planet. It was only open to teens and teens only.

Finally the six of them got into the building and grouped together. Robyn quickly scanned the crowd then pointed across the room "He's over there."

"Alright guys, you know the plan. Let's go." Gar said disappearing with Raven into the crowd.

The younger teens all nodded to each other and moved closer to Shadow's position to dance.

Jessica held her hands over her head and danced close to Jason. She could almost feel the tension coming off him as he moved in rhythm with her. She smiled trying to reassure him but he still looked nervous. She took his hands as she spun around

"Just chill Jason. I'm not going to bite." she teased

The boy didn't reply. He just kept dancing his eyes never leaving her. Jessica blushed a little then glanced over her shoulder at Shadow who was watching her. Several girls were cooing over him but he ignored them and kept his eyes on her movements. She smiled and winked at him. Then she swiftly turned to Jason

"I've got his attention. Go find Robyn or Gar." she whispered in the boy's ear

"Be careful." Jason whispered back then weaved through the crowd.

Jessica took a deep breath and smoothed her hands over her body trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. Then she walked over to Shadow her hips swinging

"Wanna dance?" she asked in a smooth voice. The question came easily and without a stutter. Almost three years of living on the Gotham streets gave Jessica an edge. Not that she needed one but it helped all the same. She smiled at the boy who grinned back

"Sure." Shadow replied getting up and following her.

Jessica held back a slight shudder as Shadow put his hands on her hips and began moving easily with her. His strange silver eyes seemed to be glowing in the flashing lights. Jessica smiled and felt his hand trace up her side and up her arm. Hold on! Shadow's hands were still on her hips! What was…

Jessica glanced at her arm and saw a black form traveling up it slowly. Shadow laughed causing her to look up. Suddenly the form stroked her face. Jessica tried to scream but couldn't. Her knees almost gave way. And yet somehow she was still moving with Shadow to the music. What was going on?

All of the sudden a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Jessica was torn from her dreamlike state as a white bird with outstretched wings hovered above her protectively. And by the look on Shadow's face he could see it as well. Another hand touched her shoulder totally freeing her from the trance

"Leave her alone Shadow." Raven's voice growled nearby. The white bird gave a cry and spread its wings wider. Jessica became aware of her friends surrounding her

"You again! That's twice you've taken what is mine, Raven. I will not be denied her. She is mine now." Shadow growled

"Back down Shadow. I'm sure you don't want to make a scene here." Raven replied in an even tone

"I demand her back. She was nearly mine! You have no right to interfere." Shadow exclaimed, black forms crawled towards Jessica's feet but had to stop a few inches away.

"We will talk this out somewhere else. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven yelled angrily.

The white bird scooped up the seven teens and dropped them on the roof.

Jessica groaned and felt someone help her up. Her vision righted and she saw Jason. She shrank away from Shadow who glared at the group. Jason held her tightly as if to protect her from him

"I claimed her. She is mine now." Shadow growled. His eyes glowed with silver light causing everyone but Raven to look away

"Jessica is my friend. You will not touch her." white power lashed out and grabbed Shadow by the waist. Raven drug the boy closer until they were face to face

"Put me down. Just because you're Trigon's daughter- ahhh!" Shadow yelled as he was lifted into the air. A white bird flew out from Raven and surrounded him with its wings.

The others watched in silence. Finally the bird flew back into Raven's body. Shadow floated down from his height and Raven released him. The boy hit his knees gasping for breath. Then he looked up. His eyes no longer glowed but looked haunted and frightened beyond anything any of the Outsiders had ever seen

"I am… sorry." Shadow groaned before collapsing on the rooftop. His chest still rose and fell but he was obviously not waking up anytime soon

"What happened to him? One second he's all evil looking and the next he's apologizing?" Red-X exclaimed looking at Raven

"He's half demon… like me." the girl looked up at the sky and her eyes narrowed "For some half and half's the dark of the moon means their demon side is stronger than their human side. Shadow wasn't trying to hurt you, Jessica. His demon side was." Raven explained kneeling next to the unconscious boy

"So… what do we do with him?" Gar asked speaking for the first time.

"We can take him home." Jessica said softly

"He just tried to steal your soul Jessica. You're sure you want him anywhere near you?" Raven said softly

"Gar started the Outsiders to help kids train their powers. We can't just leave him here. He might actually get someone the next time."

Slowly Raven nodded and the white bird scooped the group up once more.

(I just watched the last episode of Teen Titans and it sucked!)


	13. Fights and Nights

Chapter Thirteen: Fights and Nights

Robin ran into the main room with Cyborg and quickly found the site of the alarm. There had been a disturbance in the mountain range

"Titans Go!" he yelled.

Gar yawned and stretched like a cat. The sun was just starting to rise over the large canyon walls casting orange, red and black light everywhere

"Dude! This is almost perfect!" he exclaimed lifting his hands up towards the clear blue sky

"I'm glad you think so Garfield." a female voice chirped.

Gar whirled around and was punched straight in the jaw. He flew backwards almost sliding off the edge of the cliff. The changeling popped his jaw back into place then flipped up onto his feet.

A woman with blonde hair, and a skintight mask on watched him with a small smile. She was about five and half feet tall. Her outfit was much like Starfire's but all black and she wore pants instead of a skirt. She lunged again.

Gar dodged out of the way

"How do you know my name?" he demanded ducking another punch

"You don't remember me Gar?" the woman asked in a sweet voice

"Not really. And I think I'd remember you. It's not every day I meet a psycho."

"Oh Garfield. You haven't changed have you?"

Gar raised a brow and started to morph into a tiger. The woman threw a bomb-like weapon at him. It exploded and covered the changeling in a sticky substance

"Hey lady," a voice yelled "Heads up!" a huge boulder dropped from the sky nearly striking the woman but she vanished at the last second and reappeared a few feet away

"Gar, incoming Titans!" Jessica yelled.

The changeling nodded and turned into a bird flying into the nearby cave. Then the other Outsiders attacked the woman.

Robin jumped off his motorcycle and started running for the ledge. A cloud of dust was whirling around like a tornado. Behind him the other Titans flew or ran into view

"Let's go." Cyborg said turning his arm into a sonic cannon ad preparing to charge.

"If it's those kids try to keep them from running." Robin ordered.

Kid Flash saluted and bolted into the fight. Jinx cartwheeled after him.

Jessica landed harshly on the ground with a grunt. Above her the woman snarled angrily

"That'll teach you little rat."

Jessica's eyes flashed pure black and she threw one hand into the air. A pillar of fire wrapped up around her arm sending smoke billowing into the air

"Ha!" she yelled throwing blast after blast at the woman

"Titans Go!" another voice yelled.

Jinx spread her fingers wide letting the pink waves rush at the woman. Earth cracked and rumbled dangerously as the blonde boy made violent slashing motions with his hands. The air crackled with electricity and several times lightning struck the ground. The sky was black with smoke and quite a few X weapons were sticking out on the canyon wall.

Suddenly the smoke and dust settled. The woman was gone.

Jason lowered his hands and swore loudly

"Come on guys!" he yelled starting to run for the cave with the other teens behind him. Jinx and Cyborg appeared in front of him

"Hold it. We want to talk to you kids." the large cybertronic man said crossing his arms trying to look tuff

"We are not kids." Jason growled. His gloves glowed slightly and the ground trembled

"Jason, chill. The ground can't take much more." X said sharply.

Jason took a deep breath and nodded. Jessica leaned against the canyon wall looking slightly amused

"Alright, you've got five minutes." she said in her no nonsense voice she'd adopted on the streets of Gotham City

"Who are you? And why did you help us the other day?" Robin asked

"The Outsiders and we needed some hands on practice." X replied

"Okay, why are you out here?" Cyborg asked

"We don't want to be bothered."

"You could've come and asked to join the Titans." Starfire pointed out eager to meet these new heroes

"We didn't want to. The Outsiders is for kids like us who can't control their powers. We stay here and teach each other. We are not judged and no one calls us freaks." Robyn said softly

"And you have no association with a man named Garfield Logan?" Robin questioned glancing at Raven out of the corner of his eye. The Goth was silent and her face was impassive

"Never heard of him. Time's up. Adios." the group disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Robin looked at Cyborg "Did you scan them?"

"Yep. We can go over them back at the Tower. I also got this really funny reading but I dunno what it is."

"We'll find out soon enough. Come on team let's roll." Robin said waving a hand towards the distant T-car.

Raven lingered for a moment. The wind blew her hood off and sent her hair flying in all directions. A small smiled graced her lips and she sent out a thought to the familiar aurora

"_Tonight?"_ she asked hopefully

"_As you wish."_ came the reply

Raven's smile widened and she turned to leave the ledge. As soon as the T-car was out of sight Gar dropped onto the cliff and smiled a little

"See you then, my sweet Raven."

Raven yawned and crawled under the blankets. Her powers flew to the door locking it. She muttered a spell under her breath enforcing the sound proofing. She'd already disabled the security cameras with Cyborg's permission. Now all she had to do was wait for Gar

"Hey Rae." speak of the devil. (No pun intended)

Gar crouched on the window ledge looking at her. His cloak had been discarded. A baseball cap was jammed on his head. He wore jeans and a black tee shirt and his trademark silver gloves

"Hey." Raven replied trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

Gar stepped onto the carpet softly. Raven slid out from under the blankets. She wore a tank top and a pair of hip huggers

"I've missed you." Raven whispered tucking a strand of hair behind one ear. She looked up at Gar who smiled gently

"Me too." he took her hand and pulled her into a hug. Raven's body relaxed instantly and she felt Gar rest his chin on the top of her head "I'm sorry, Raven."

"Why?" Raven asked drawing him towards the bed. Gar complied and sat with her on his lap. He sighed a little

"That we have to hide like this. I hate it." his voice rose a little and he flushed in the darkness of the room

"Gar… I know but… it really doesn't matter to me. I just like being able to see you. That's all I really want."

The changeling gave her a small smile "I know Rae. But I want to be there for you all the time. And I can't do that until Robin gets off his high horse."

Raven placed a finger over his lips hushing him "Let's talk about that later." she whispered softly.

Gar started to say something but was cut off by Raven's mouth pressing over his. He gave into her and returned the kiss.

An hour later Gar slipped out of the window and flew away. In his claws he clutched a spiral notebook. The first page was filled with symbols each with a meaning written beside it. Raven had gathered the information from her books from Azarath. She'd given Gar careful instructions to have Shadow put them on the inside of his right arm with a marker. It would repress his demon side when the dark of the moon came around again.

Transforming into a human he landed on the ridge in front of the Outsider's cave. He entered and looked around.

Kid Flash had brought a generator and a couple of lights for the group. One hung in each corner. Gar groaned and tossed the notebook on Shadow's cot.

Jason and Jessica were sitting on opposite sides of the room looking angrier than Raven when she was in one of her moods

"What is wrong with you two now?" he asked flopping onto his pile of blankets. Lately the two had been fighting and it was starting to get on everyone's nerves

"Nothing." they both said at the same time. Jessica rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and crossed her arms.

Robyn looked up and blinked a couple times. A smile crossed her face "Have fun at the Tower Gar?"

"Huh?" the changeling asked feigning innocence

"Her aurora is all over you." Robyn replied.

Gar rolled his eyes and looked over at Shadow who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He paid no attention to anyone. In fact he seemed… in a trance

"Shadow?" Gar asked lifting his head up. He got to his feet "Shadow? Anyone home?"

"He's been like that since you left." Red-X said shifting through a pile of metal scraps

Gar frowned and shook the dark boy by the shoulder. The silver eyes flickered open slowly and Shadow shook his head as if trying to figure out where he was "You okay?" Gar asked

"Ya, until you shook me. I've never came back to my body that fast." Shadow replied pinching the bridge of his nose

Gar and the other Outsiders gave Shadow quizzical looks. The boy stared back at them. He moved his hand from his nose "What?"

"What do you mean come back to your body?" Jason asked turning around on his cot to look at the dark teen

Shadow shrugged and sat on his bed "I can leave my body in the form of dark energy and kinda… drift around. Like a shadow."

Gar snapped his fingers "That reminds me." he pointed to the notebook that sat at Shadow's side "Raven told me to give you this. You have to-."

Shadow looked at the symbols solemnly before interrupting him "I know how to use them. I had a binding spell on my arm at the dance but I must've sweated it off and… _he_ took over." Shadow cast an apologetic glance over at Jessica who just smiled as if to tell him she forgave him

"Well, I'm going to bed then." Gar announced flopping on his blankets. No one did so he fell fast asleep.

The next morning Red-X was alone in the cave. Jason and Shadow had gone to get some clothes. Robyn and Gar were training down in the canyon. Jessica had taken a walk. So this left the former thief alone. Not that he minded. On the contrary Red-X enjoyed the silence when he worked. And with Jessica and Jason fighting, Robyn yelling and the usual chaos it was hard.

Fishing a small wrench from his nearby pile of tools he put the finishing touches onto a communicator for Shadow. Putting the wrench back he clicked on the device

"Can everyone hear me?" he asked pressing the button down. He released it then listened carefully.

There was a few seconds of silence then four chimes of "Loud and clear." come over the line.

X signed off and stepped outside the cave for some fresh air.

The air was thick with engine exhaust and he could faintly hear a motor running nearby

"Anyone home?" a voice yelled.

Red-X ducked behind a boulder his heart thudding in his chest. He pulled out his communicator but dropped it as a hand gripped his shoulder…

(Suspense! Who do you think it is? Robin? Raven? Jessica? Someone else? Who knows besides me? Hahahahaha)


	14. Titans GO!

Chapter Fourteen: Titans Go!

Red-X whirled around. The woman from yesterday smiled down at him "Well, well, well, you must be Red-X. I've heard a lot about you."

"I gather that was when I was a thief." Red-X said glancing at the canyon. He cursed silently and eyed the communicator between the woman's feet

"Naturally, everyone knew who you were. But I must say I'm a bit disappointed. You could've been on of the best in the business." the woman started to circle him

"Being a thief didn't pay much. Besides it's not a picnic trying to evade the police all the time." X said watching the woman warily

"It pays for me." the woman stopped and cupped X's cheek. The teen shuddered "You're a smart kid X. Is there any way I could convince you to join me?" her hand trailed down his face and arm coming to rest on his belt

"No." X replied jerking away

"But-." a blast of yellow light flew out hitting the woman in the chest. She flew backwards skidding across the ground. Robyn walked over next to X and lowered her hands

"He said no." she said coolly flipping her long blonde hair over one shoulder.

"You little brat, I'll teach ya!"

The woman stood and ran at the two only to be blocked by a pool of black liquid. Or at least that's what it looked like.

The pool took shape revealing Jason and Shadow. "Leave my friends alone!" Shadow yelled. His eyes glowed and various black forms crawled towards him.

Before the demon could attack though the woman backhanded him harshly, Shadow lost his concentration and his body dissolved into a black cloud. Jason was too surprised to do anything.

The woman charged Robyn again ignoring Red-X's furious attempts to draw her attention away. Her foot connected with Robyn's stomach. The girl gave a cry of pain and staggered away. Her feet met the edge of the cliff and she fell. A scream tore from her throat as she dropped towards the canyon floor.

A hand caught hers causing her to stop with a sudden jerk. Red-X's gloved hand held her wrist tightly. He gave a sigh of relief. Robyn looked up and gave another yell "Look out!"

The woman started to shove Red-X over the cliff side but a rock shoved her away. Jason ran over to help the two but had to defend himself against a series of blows.

Robyn whimpered from the pain in her side and looked up at Red-X who was desperately trying to haul her back up. Yellow energy pulsed around her.

"Titans Go!" a voice yelled. Green starbolts, pink waves, a blue pillar of light, black power, and explosive disks flew at the woman creating a huge plume of dust

Jason shoved the dust away with his powers and gave a yell of frustration. The woman was gone and no trace remained.

"A little help you be appreciated over here!" Red-X yelled. He was starting to slide off the edge of the cliff after Robyn due to the fact that he had nothing to hold onto

Cyborg strode over, picked up both teens and set them on the ground properly. Robyn slumped to the ground with a smothered cry of pain. She pressed a hand to her stomach where she'd been kicked wincing in pain. Red-X knelt beside her worry evident on his features

"You okay?" he asked

Robyn shook her head "I think she broke some of my ribs or something." she whimpered. Jason's wrist watch smoked and finally exploded.

Raven hurried to the girl's side and glanced at Red-X who backed up a few steps to let the sorceress work.

Nearby Shadow's body appeared and he groaned "What'd I miss?" he asked sitting up. Seeing the Titans he raised a brow "A lot obviously."

"Are you alright?" Starfire asked hovering over the boy. Shadow nodded

"Who is that woman?" Robin wondered out loud

"Dunno but she's starting to get on my nerves." Jason said brushing dirt and dust off his clothes. Pebbles clung to him quivering.

Raven sat back on her heels and flexed her hands "Two ribs snapped, one totally shattered, and three cracked. I healed the broken and cracked ones. The shattered one will be sore for a few days so don't overdo anything. I'd stay in bed for a couple hours." she reported standing

Robyn nodded and took Red-X's hand letting him haul her to her feet.

"So… now what?" Jinx asked looking at the group, her pink eyes narrowed "Where's your pyro friend?"

As if to answer Jessica ran up the side of the cliff. She leaned over panting "I saw the smoke. What happened?" she asked looking around "Looks like a twister hit this place."

"Close enough." Shadow mumbled rubbing his head checking for blood

"We really ought to get going." Jason said to the others.

Before they could push their hidden buttons Robin held up both hands and spoke quickly "Wait! We could really use your help capturing this woman whoever she is."

The Outsiders looked at each other then huddled together a few feet away

"We're risking them finding Gar." Jessica hissed softly

""Maybe not, if we help them it might convince them we've got nothing to hide and they'll leave us alone."

"I sat we talk to Gar and see what he thinks. Then we give them an answer." Robyn said softly.

The group agreed and turned to the Titans

"Give us some more time to think it over. We'll meet you here tomorrow at noon and give you our answer."

The Titans consented and drove off in a cloud of dust.

"Come on Gar! This is a good chance for us to try out our skills." Jessica whined.

The changeling leaned in the cave entrance looking at the sky

"Are you gonna talk or you just gonna sit there moping cause you couldn't watch your girlfriend!" Jessica yelled.

The man's shoulders bunched and the muscles in his arms tensed "I thought about it Jess, I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?" the girl demanded. When Gar didn't reply she started to say something else but Robyn put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head

"Let him be. Something's wrong and yelling won't help. He just… needs to be alone, I think." Robyn said softly.

Gar's ears twitched slightly as he listened to the girl's conversation. He sighed and relaxed his muscles again. He wanted to let them go but something told him it was a bad idea. And as an animal changeling he had found in the past that his instincts were almost always right. Gar sighed again and lifted his face to the wind. His mind sorted out the smells with ease.

A soft growl escaped his throat. He hated being cooped up as much as the other teens did. Maybe he should let them go…

Gar turned and walked back into the cave. The five teens looked at him in silence. He rested an elbow against the wall and leaned against it

"Alright, you can go. But!" the celebration quickly died down "X is in charge. And try not to get yourselves killed."

"Awesome!" Jessica yelled doing a little dance. She grabbed Jason and hugged him. This caught the boy by surprise and he blushed.

The others all laughed except for Shadow who looked out at the sky a little nervously

"Is something wrong, Shadow?" Gar asked.

"Kinda, the dark of the moon is three days away. What if Raven's spells aren't strong enough?" the boy asked in worry

"Don't worry. If Raven's nearby she'll make sure to keep an eye on you."

Shadow nodded but the worry didn't leave his face


	15. Demon Desires

Chapter Fifteen: Demon Desires

(Two months after #14)

Forest Gates was an area of the city that housed the mayor, several members of the city council and the like. So someone moving in was a big deal.

A woman with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes smiled at the cameras but looked uncomfortable with all attention. At her side was a little girl with blue eyes and white blonde hair. She looked to be about eight or nine. She clutched a small doll to her chest and watched the photographers with wide eyes.

No one noticed a blonde girl with yellow eyes walking down the opposite side of the street. She paused watching the display of flashes and shouting of the reporters.

Beside her a shadow reached out and touched her arm. She glanced at it then jerked her head "Come out, no one's paying any attention."

The shadow took form becoming a boy "Robin said they might have a lead." he paused looking at the people "What're you doing here anyway?"

"That little girl… her aurora's bigger than it should be, much bigger."

"You think she's got some kind of powers?"

"I'm not sure; I'll come back later and check it out. Let's go." Robyn said turning and following Shadow into an alley. The boy's body dissolved slowly and took Robyn along with it. The two forms raced over the street towards Titan's Tower.

"I'm telling you guys this doesn't make any sense!" Robin yelled waving a piece of paper over his head.

Red-X turned away from a computer and raised a brow "Sure it does Robin. You would never suspect anyone from Forest Gates so why not hide there?"

"He has a point." Shadow commented as he and Robyn appeared on the sofa beside the others.

Robin shook his head "Where were you Robyn?"

"Forest Gates; some one just moved in there. Bunch of reporters and junk." she paused "It was a woman and a little girl. The girl… she looked funny."

"What do you mean?" Jinx asked glanced over at the girl

"Her aurora was very strong for someone so young."

"Could you say that in English for us who don't want to stress our brains?" Kid Flash asked propping his feet up on the coffee table and leaning backwards

"It means she could have some sort of power. I couldn't get a very good look since there were so many people. I'll go back tomorrow."

Starfire floated into the room. A smudge of ink was under her cheekbone and she held up a piece of paper victoriously "We have done it!" she exclaimed.

Cyborg walked in after her wiping his hands on a rag "I managed to construct a probable picture of our little friend. We can run it through the computers and check it out."

As the group crowded around them Shadow backed up a step touching his forehead. Raven and Red-X noticed and pulled him aside

"Are you alight?" Raven asked, her eyes searching the boy's for any signs of pain or distress

"I've been feeling a little funny lately, like I'm all fuzzy." Shadow admitted

"Maybe you should go home for a little bit. I'm sure Gar would appreciate the company." Red-X suggested.

Shadow shook his head "No I want to help; besides the dark of the moon was last night and I was fine. Maybe I'm just going shadow too much."

Raven frowned "Your powers thrive on being used. The more you use them the stronger they should be. Go in the kitchen and I'll make you some tea. That should help."

Shadow protested but finally obeyed. Raven spoke with Cyborg in hushed tones and the cybertronic man nodded.

Shadow rubbed his temples. His mind refused to clear. All he could think about was darkness, night, and shadows. The thoughts went in a loop. A harsh ache rose up in his chest. He groaned softly from the pain. A terrifying roar filled his ears and the boy was lost.

Raven walked into the kitchen and frowned. Shadow was not sitting at the counter. He must've gone up to his room. Maybe he wanted to be alone. The boy was a very private person and valued his privacy almost as much as Raven did herself. So she decided to leave him alone until he reappeared.

A dark haired girl danced alone. Her hips moved easily to the beat. She wore low rise jeans and a black halter top.

Across the club Shadow watched her with slightly glowing eyes. Her soul was ripe and it would most definitely ease the sharp pains in his chest.

The girl smiled as she felt someone put their hands on her hips. She turned around and saw a boy about her age. His hair was black and so were all his clothes. He smiled at her

"Hope you don't mind if we dance for a few sings." he murmured just loud enough for her to hear

"Not at all. I'm Holly by the way."

"Shadow."

The two danced for a little then Shadow made his move. Holly continued to dance even as the black form stroked her face. She probably thought it was Shadow's hand. Suddenly her blue eyes started to fade away and were replaced by hollow black orbs. Shadow sighed in sweet relief as the warm feeling of the girl's soul ebbed into him

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" a voice screamed. Black power lashed out and tore the girl from Shadow's grasp.

The demon was thrown up against a wall roughly by two arms of solid concrete. The lights of the dance club stopped flashing and totally flicked on revealing the Titans and Outsiders.

Raven's eyes blazed with power. Jason's hands glowed a brilliant yellow as he held Shadow against the wall. A white mist floated around the room before slipping into Holly's body. The girl gasped and sat up. Tears of fear pored down her face as she looked around wildly. She started to run but Robyn stopped her

"Don't worry. He can hurt you anymore." she murmured as the girl broke down from terror

"That what you think." Shadow muttered.

His body ebbed into a black mist and he slid through Jason's bonds. An electrical blast riddled through him and Shadow was forced to take up his human form again. He growled

"That's three times daughter of Trigon. And I don't take rejection well."

"You'll just have to deal." Raven retorted

"You think you can protect this boy?" the demon laughed "He is mine. We are the same. His body can not last without a soul to hold onto. Sooner or later he will buckle."

Shadow's body shook violently then he staggered a few paces. When he looked up his eyes were no longer glowing and he looked confused

"W-what happened? Why is everyone staring at me?" he asked looking around at the crowd of teenagers.

Nearby Holly stopped crying at stared at the boy before slipping away in the crowd. Raven grabbed Shadow's wrist and her eyes flashed white. A black mark burned into the boy's skin. He yelped and pulled his arm away

"What was that for?"

"That will keep your demon side under control until the next dark of the moon. Now come on we're going home."

A white bird appeared and scooped up the group. In a loud rumble of power they disappeared from the club.

Shadow sat on the sofa, his head in his hands. In front of him Raven paced, her cloak flying in the wind she was making

"Raven, would you stop? I'm getting holes in my shoes just watching you." Jason said leaning against his propped up hand.

Beside him Shadow's shoulders shook and he looked up. A shadow of one of the tables floated over and wrapped itself around his hand. He frowned and shook it off

"I can't believe I let that happen again. It's not even the dark of the moon." he whispered

"Shadow-." Jessica started

"I almost killed that girl! And…" his hands shook and he clenched his hands tightly. A tear leaked from his eye "I liked it."

"But you are a friend! Not a person who enjoys hurting others!" Starfire exclaimed in alarm

"I can't help it Star." Shadow murmured.

"There has to be a way we can prevent his from happening." Cyborg said addressing Raven who had yet to speak. She looked up

"I'm afraid… I don't know how to stop it. What his other side said is true. Shadow's powers thrive on two things. Being used constantly and souls. Without those two things his powers either fade and the demon would take another host or the demon would leave and Shadow would die. I just don't know."

"We can't let this happen! There's gotta be a solution." Robin exclaimed. The others murmured in agreement.

"You guys don't get it!" Shadow yelled drawing their attention "This demon isn't using me! I am a demon! I've just been able to control it. But I've always isolated myself. I've never been around people much. And… I've always had blackouts a lot. I guess that was when my other side took over."

"Don't talk like that Shadow. We'll figure something out. I'll go talk to Knowledge and see if she knows anything."

"No… look I just want to be alone for a little bit okay?" the dark teen got up from the sofa and walked through the doors disappearing as soon as they closed.

Shadow walked down the street his hands shoved in his pockets. One of his hands was covered in a black mist. He passed several houses before coming to stop at one. Gathering his courage he walked up to the door and knocked softly. A woman answered it. She looked down at him and smiled a little

"What can I do for you?" she asked pleasantly

"I was wondering if Holly was home."

"She sure is." the woman turned around and yelled "Holly! Someone here to see you." she turned back to Shadow "You just go sit down and she'll be down in a sec."

Shadow nodded and sat on a couch in the large living room. The woman ducked into another room leaving the boy alone.

Seconds later Holly came clattering down the stairs. She still wore her jeans but had a sweatshirt on instead of a halter top. She froze seeing Shadow

"What are you doing here?" she stuttered. Her tan skin paled and she trembled from head to toe. She looked ready to faint

"Look I just wanted to apologize for what happened." Shadow said standing

"You mean for trying to steal my soul? Or whatever you were doing."

Shadow rubbed the back of his neck "I guess… I didn't mean to. It's… complicated." he paused watching the girl who had stopped trembling and drawn her lips into a thin line "Well I'll just go now." he headed for the door but Holly spoke softly causing him to halt

"You don't have to leave."

Shadow turned back around and stared at her. She had crossed her arms and met his eyes squarely "Are you sure?"

"Positive…" her gaze softened and she smiled "You know I don't think you're really a bad guy. You've just got some problems."

Shadow laughed at the irony "Problems. Well I guess you could call them that."

"That person who tried to hurt me. He wasn't you was he?"

"Not exactly. Like I said it's complicated." Shadow mumbled looking away for a moment. Then he lifted his gaze

"Why don't you sit down? I'd like to talk to you." Holly invited.

Shadow cast a nervous glance over his shoulder

"I… shouldn't." he mumbled. He glanced at his wrist. The mark Raven had given him seemed to taunt him. Reminding him of what he hid.

"Well then at least let me walk with you for a little bit." Holly wheedled already reaching for a coat.

Shadow sighed "Alright, I guess it wouldn't harm anything. Is it alright with your mom?" he asked pointing to the room.

Holly nodded and poked her head in the room "I'm going to go out for a little bit. I'll be right back." she said. There was a noise of agreement and Holly walked over to Shadow

"Let's go."

The two teens walked along the street slowly. A cold wind whipped around them but Shadow didn't seem bothered despite his thin jacket. Holly glanced at him

"Aren't you cold? It's freezing." she asked curiously rubbing her arm and burrowing into the collar of her warm coat

"No. Demo- I have a very high tolerance for the cold." he caught the word 'demon' before it slipped out thankfully.

Holly gave him an odd look then turned her attention to the glowing Titans Tower

"Do you live there?" she asked pointing.

Shadow shrugged and scuffed his feet on the pavement "Sort of. I don't live anywhere for long. It's…"

"Complicated?" Holly guessed

"Ya."

The two fell silent again. Shadow looked up at the moon but had to look away. He hated the moon. Or at least part of him did. In a nearby alley there was a crash and a shadow raced at the two. It bowled into Shadow almost knocking him over. He grasped the silhouette gently and his eyes glowed slightly. Then he released it and turned to Holly

"It gotta go." he said turning to leave.

"Will I see you again?"

Shadow paused and for a moment his control wavered. His wrist burned and the desire was shoved away "Ya, meet me here tomorrow afternoon."

(Whew! Very long chapter! Well next chapter I PROMISE you will find out the new villain! Man this thing is getting long! Toodles!)


	16. Shahari

Chapter Fifteen: Shahari

Robin yelled as he ran at the woman who blocked his attack and threw him aside with incredible strength. He plowed into Jinx dazing the both of them

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Water burst from the ground and with a gesture it surrounded the woman. She vanished then reappeared a few yards to the left

"Ha, ha, ha!" Starfire grunted as she fired starbolt after starbolt at the woman. A blast of sound waves followed her attacks.

Nearby Shadow stepped out of an alley and caught Jessica under the arms as she was thrown away from the fight. The girl nodded her thanks then bolted back to the fight.

An explosion knocked Jason over and the ground ruptured as his concentration was lost. Kid Flash zoomed by grabbing Raven and Jinx pulling them out of danger

"Is it just me or are we getting our butts kicked?" Robyn coughed as she and Red-X emerged from a dumpster behind Shadow

"Heads up!" Cyborg yelled in warning. He slammed against the wall, recovered and ran back to the fight.

Shadow lifted his hands. Black shapes reared from their places along walls and whirled around him. They took the shape of a hand and reached out to capture the woman

"Gotcha!" he yelled triumphantly. Suddenly his mind was filled with searing pain and he yelled in pain. The shadows released their prisoner who scrambled away.

"Nice try kid." the woman laughed looking at the withering boy.

"Who are you?" Robin demanded.

The woman smirked and bowed at the waist "Shahari. Thief, hacker and hit-woman. At your service."

"Sorry, I don't think we'll be needing your services." Robyn growled as her hands pulsed with yellow energy.

"True… so I think I'll take my leave." with that the woman snapped her fingers and vanished like she did every time.

Robin growled and threw a random punch at a wall. The brick crumbled slightly and his knuckles and gloves were bloodied

"Robin please stop." Starfire pleaded taking his hand gently. The young man sighed and obeyed the alien princess.

"Let's go home. There's nothing we can do for tonight." Robin said dejectedly.

The group followed their leader tiredly.

Shadow paused and looked up at the full moon. Raven's hand touched his shoulder "You okay?"

"Ya."

Gar sighed and rubbed his eyes. The computer screen in front of him kept going in and out of focus but he kept searching.

Shahari. Why did that name seem so familiar? It wasn't even a real word. And Raven had never heard of it in any of her books. This woman must've made it up on her own.

Gar sighed again and put the laptop away. He stood from the cave floor and walked to the entrance. The sunlight blinded him for a moment but his eyes adjusted quickly

"Shahari…" he paused looking at the ground. Then his eyes widened "Shari!"

Shari Simon kissed her daughter forehead softly. The girl didn't stir and her blue eyes remained closed.

Shari stepped into her own bedroom and looked around. Deciding she was safe from prying eyes she opened her wardrobe and slipped out the fake back. Inside laid a skintight, black mask and a carefully folded black outfit. She slid the mask out of the drawer and felt the silky material between her fingers.

Shahari was a well known thief in Gotham City. Not even Batman had a clue of who she was. She'd heard of the unrest between the Titans and moved to Jump City. Besides she had an old score to settle with that man. He'd done her job for her and no one shorted Shahari.

Shari snorted and put the mask away. After undressing and slipping into bed she glanced at a photo. It was _Cameron_ with his arm around Shari.

She turned the picture around then turned off the light and drifted off to sleep.

(Sorry this one's so short! The next one will be much better! At least I hope so.)


	17. Sparks Fly

Chapter Sixteen: Sparks Fly

Robin rubbed his head and continued to leaf through a stack of papers. Behind him the doors slid open and someone's silhouette fell across the square of light that fell on the floor

"Robin?" it was Raven. The masked teen didn't ven bother looking up. "Robin this is kinda important."

"What is it Raven?" Robin asked still not bothering to glance behind him. Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder

"I've come for you Robin." it sounded just like Slade! He'd gotten into the Tower!

Robin whirled around, swung a punch, missed, and fell. Nearby a familiar laughter rang through the air.

_Gar_ was rolling around on the floor clutching his stomach and laughing his head off. In the doorway Raven shook her head

"You should've seen you face," Gar howled "Man that was absolutely priceless." the changeling continued to laugh and cry at the same time.

Robin's mouth hung open and he shook his head "Gar… Raven… Slade…?" he stuttered attempting to form a complete sentence without much luck

"Gar has some information on Shahari. So please don't kill him without asking question first." Raven said watching the changeling with amused eyes

"Really?" Robin said frowning. He got off the floor and glared at Gar who was lying eagle spread on the ground "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The changeling rolled his eyes and sat up slightly "Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?" Robin nodded "Good. Her name is Shari Simon. She has a daughter named Niki who's eight. And… uh… she was married to Cameron. At least until Changeling…ya."

Robin frowned "Did you know her?"

"Little bit. But-." he broke off and his ears twitched

"Raven touched his shoulder "Gar?"

"The twerps are listening." he replied with a toothy grin.

Seconds later the door opened and a rock flew at Gar

"Name calling isn't nice." Jason said with a smirk

"Neither is throwing rocks."

Robin groaned "Let's going into the main room so you can explain this all to me."

Once the two teams had gathered in the common room Gar spoke "Shari had a daughter named Niki and she can control water. I don't remember everything but I think Cameron injected her with some kind of experimental serum. After that Shari divorced him."

"So she's out for revenge?" Jinx put in

"As far as I can tell." Gar replied

There was a pressing silence then Robin cleared his throat "Gar… I… made a mistake."

The changeling raised an eyebrow "So… are we… cool?"

Robin shrugged "Frosty."

Instantly the Outsiders swarmed Gar laughing and hugging him.

"Has anyone seen Shadow?" Starfire asked

"He said something about going into the city for a little bit." Jason explained. The group went back to celebrating.

Gar met Raven's eyes and glanced at the lunar calendar that hung on the wall.

The next two nights had no symbols.

Shadow rapped on the door of Holly's house and smiled as the door opened to reveal Holly's face

"Hey Holly. How's it going?" he asked

"Shadow! Hi, I'm fine. You?"

"Okay I guess. Listen can we talk?" the boy inquired shifting nervously

Holly opened the door fully "Sure come on in."

Shadow back up a few steps and glanced over his shoulder at the high sun. "Well… I was thinking the park."

Holly gave him a smile then disappeared into the house. Seconds later she reappeared and pulled on a pair of tennis shoes "Let's go."

Shadow nodded "We'll go my way. It's faster."

"Your way?" Holly asked quizzically.

Shadow held out his hands "Hold onto me."

Holly obeyed and in a matter of minutes they were emerging from a vortex of black shadows near a barren park.

"Wow! That's pretty cool." Holly exclaimed giggling slightly.

Shadow shrugged "I guess. Come on."

The two teen sat on a secluded park bench. Shadow rubbed his neck trying to find the right words

"Do you remember that night at the dance club?"

"Shadow-."

"Listen Holly. Please just listen." Shadow took a deep breath preparing for whatever the girl might say or yell "I… I'm a demon."

"Are you serious?" Holly asked looking confused

"Very." Shadow replied

Holly pursed her lips "Shadow… I really don't care. You've been a great friend to me." she said after a moment

"That's the problem…" he pulled his sleeve up showing the girl the already wavering binding symbol that Raven had burned into his skin "Once the sun set I'll change. And I'm worried you'll get hurt."

"Why?"

"Because… you've just got to trust me on this one, Holly."

Holly smiled "I trust you Shadow."

"If you see me at all tonight I want you to call my friends with this." he pulled his Outsider communicator out of his pocket "Jus press the button and start talking."

Holly nodded and took Shadow's hand letting him pull her up. For a moment she was still then she threw her arms around the shocked boy "You don't have to live like this you know." she whispered in his ear trying to hold back tears

Shadow shook his head "Yes, I do."

Holly hugged him tightly then stepped back. A small smile crossed the demon's handsome features "Come on, I'll take you home."

Raven turned a page in her book and glanced out the common room window. The sun was starting to set.

Across from her Shadow was watching the sun as well. His face was already showing strain and his silver eyes were starting to take on a translucent glow. A black tear hit the carpeted floor.

"Shadow…" Raven got up and sat next to the boy

"I'm sorry for whatever I do." he whispered.

A gloved hand reached out and gripped the boy's shoulder. Gar stood behind the boy watching the sun. Then he looked down "It's okay dude. We're all here for you."

The Outsiders and Titans all gathered on the sofa. Robin however stood back a few feet not feeling comfortable with the Outsiders now that he knew Gar led them

"All of us." Robyn said softly. The others murmured in agreement.

Shadow didn't reply. His eyes were closed. The last sliver of the sun slipped behind the city.

Raven felt the boy's mind struggle for a moment before slipping into a dark abyss.

The demon's body turned into a black mist and disappeared through the huge widow.

Gar waited for a moment, his face grim "Alright guys, let's go."

Shadow looked at the house then slid up the roof and under one of the widows.

His human self formed so quickly it looked as if he'd merely been hiding in one of the corners and suddenly decided to step into the light.

Across from him there was a sleeping figure. He walked over and sat in a shadow that formed into a chair, watching Holly sleep. Shahari had already given him his orders but he had a few hours left and tomorrow night as well.

Holly turned over and faced him, still asleep. Ignoring the burning in his chest he ran a gentle hand over her cheek "Soon," he breathed "Soon the weakling will vanish and I will have you."

Beneath his hand the girl trembled and he knew she was awake "You trust a boy who can not even control himself but you refuse to trust a man who-."

Holly's hand flew striking the demon across the cheek "Shut up! You're a demon! Shadow is my friend!"

The dark men laughed lowly "He and I are the same. Whatever I do he feels." he stroked her face. Holly jerked away "And yet… I can not harm you. Something he feels prevents it."

Holly edged to her dresser where Shadow's communicator lay. The man saw the communicator but made no move to stop Holly.

Holly pressed the button and spoke into the speaker "Whoever's listening… Shadow's… he's… here."

Gar landed in a crouched position then stood fully. Behind him the others pulled up and gathered

"We know you're here, Shadow!" Robin yelled unable to stand the silence.

"I am well aware of that, mortal." the demon appeared nearby leaning against a wall of a building

"Why are you working for Shahari?" Gar asked. It was only a few minutes until sunrise

"Is it really any of your business Garfield?"

A green barrage of starbolts flew at the boy who simply raised an arm. When the smoke cleared he lowered the arm which was smoking slightly. Starfire's mouth fell open

"Was that supposed to hurt?" Shadow asked brazenly. Without waiting for a reply he threw out a hand and lack energy instantly bound all the heroes, even Raven.

Gar glared at the demon who sneered at him "Why she wants you alive is beyond me." he muttered. Dark energy formed around his right hand "Say good-bye to your friends, Garfield."

As he started to fire the blast Holly bounded out from her house causing the demon to pause and look up in surprise.

Without hesitation the girl ran over, wrapped her arms around the demon's neck and pressed her lips against his.

Instantly the change began to take place. Shadow's energy binds vanished and his eyes stopped glowing as he closed them. He wound one arm around the girl's waist and touched her cheek with the other. Slowly they broke apart, their eyes locked together. Shadow's dreamy expression vanished and he looked shocked.

The teen took a couple of steps backwards, his eyes darting over the confused faces of his teammates. Then he vanished into a pool of shadows.

I know I'm kinda focusing more on Shadow than on Gar. But trust me this will all make sense in the end. I hope…

Anyway once this is done I will be doing a sequel. It will just be random events and plenty of fluff between several different couples. But it needs a name so send be some ideas!

And also I need some ideas for oneshots.

And plz read my new story Strangers! I need some help on it.


	18. The Plot Thickens

Chapter Eighteen: The Plot Thickens

Shadow chucked a rock angrily at the wall the slumped against a boulder. Black tears hit the dust

"I thought you'd be here." a voice said.

Shadow looked up and saw Gar approaching

"Go away."

"I will but I brought some one and she really wants to talk to you."

Holly approached looking at her hands. Gar turned into a bird and flew away.

Shadow dried his eyes too frustrated to be embarrassed. Holly sat next to him

"You visited last night."

"I know."

"Your… other side said that something you felt kept him from hurting me."

"I know."

Holly turned to him angrily "Are you going to talk to me or are you just going to sit there feeling sorry for yourself?"

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself." Shadow corrected.

"Then why won't you talk to me." Holly pleaded.

Shadow looked down at his hands. They were trembling "I'm scared. For the Outsiders, the Titans, myself… but mostly..." he paused for a moment.

Holly started to encourage him to go on but a violent explosion rocked the ground. Shadow leapt to his feet and a black energy shield appeared over their heads as rocks fell from the top of the canyon. After they stopped falling Shadow's shield ebbed away and Holly rose to her feet

"What was that?"

"I don't know." Shadow replied moving to stand next to her. He turned so they were facing each other. His eyes glowed and Holly sank into a pool of shadows with a slight scream.

Shadow waited for a moment then satisfied the girl was safe ran towards the sound of reoccurring explosions.

Gar's tiger claws slashed through several metal robots and he roared his fury. Behind him yellow, electrical energy was coursing through about twenty of the machines.

Robyn was yelling in pain as the power coursed through her.

Robin tackled several of the attackers and tore them apart with a birdarang. His bo staff was out and swinging.

Raven's astral form soared through the battle healing various wounds her friends acquired before speeding back to protect the half demon's mortal body.

Jessica and Jason were fighting back to back. Earth rose and collapsed swallowing robots while fire melted through their metal bodies.

Starfire and Jinx threw attack after attack shielding Cyborg who was trying to trace the attack signal.

Suddenly a huge black portal appeared and consumed at least half of the robots. Shadow rose out of the vortex and spread his arms wide.

"Everyone! Get in the air!" he yelled as the whirlpool of shadows started to pull various robots into its endless abyss.

The Titans and Outsiders obeyed the command not wanting to fall into wherever Shadow was sending the attacking androids.

Cyborg rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he watched Red-X work. "Are you sure this information is good?"

"Positive, I traced it through a bunch of different… sources. They all said Shari Simon had dealings in the black market for automaton pieces."

"And these… sources are trustworthy?" Robin asked.

"Very."

Behind them Gar was dozing on the sofa, his chin tucked into his chest. The other Outsiders and various Titans lounged on the sofa

"So we know Shari has been buying stuff from the black market." Gar said not moving from his position "What do we do about it?"

Robin glanced up for a moment "You said Shari had a daughter? Is there any chance she would remember you?"

Nicosia Simon raised her head up and stared at the ruffling curtains. Her mother had shut the window hadn't she?

Grasping the hard plastic water bottle that sat by her bedside the girl got up and stepped onto the balcony "Who's out here?" she demanded

""Hey Niki," a voice said. On her right a man in a green cloak with the hood pulled over his face was leaning on the railing "Betcha don't remember me."

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Niki asked flicking the top off her bottle

"Garfield Logan; you always called me Beastie though."

Niki hesitated "Let me see your face."

The man shrugged and lowered the hood revealing green features and a pure white smile "Hiya squirt."

"Gar, what are you doing here? If my mom sees you…"

"Let me worry about your mom." Gar replied.

Niki looked behind her into the dark room then back at the changeling "What happened?" she whispered

"Long story," Gar was peering into the darkness that surrounded the rooftop. A small sigh escaped his lips "I know you're there Raven."

Niki watched in amazement as a second cloaked figure emerged from the floor of the marble balcony and took the shape of a woman "I already checked the house. Shari is out. I called the others and told them to be ready in case she decided to take revenge for her missing robots."

"Where's Shadow?"

"Holly's house; she seems to be the only one he can't hurt." Raven answered glancing over at the small girl who was clutching her water bottle again.

Gar noticed as well and smiled "Niki this is Raven. She's my girlfriend." This brought a blush from the empath and a giggle from Niki who then looked at Raven carefully

"You're very pretty."

Raven slipped her hood down from her head and considered the girl for a moment "Thank you."

"Anyway back to business, Niki…"

"I know about my mom. She's Shahari; it wasn't that hard to figure out either."

Gar raised a brow "Okay…"

"And to answer your next question I'll come with you. I don't like living here anymore." Niki rubbed her arm and Raven noted a collection of bruises on the spot.

An aurora suddenly played on the edge of her mind. The next instant a booted foot swung down from the rooftop and knocked Gar over the railing. He grabbed the iron bar with one hand then swung himself back up with the other.

Shahari was standing with Raven's head under one of her feet. Gar froze momentarily then morphing his hand into a bear paw knocked the woman aside. A stream of water flew out and surrounded her, but it was batted away without much thought

"Raven, take Niki back to the Tower." Gar ordered.

The half demon obeyed wrapping herself and the small girl in a cloud of black magic. Gar flipped up onto the rooftop and started slipping and skidding. Changing into a mountain goat he leapt nimbly from eave to eave with Shahari following close behind.

Just as she was about to grab the goat and blast of black energy sent her sprawling. Shadow stood on a roof eave his eyes glowing dangerously. Holly stood beside him

"No one tells me what to do!" the demon roared throwing another attack across the roof. This one went wild missing by a good two feet.

Gar dodged away from Shahari as she tried to seize him again. He turned into a leopard and parched precariously on a protruding wooden beam.

Another attack flew at the woman; this one hit her in the leg. She went down with a yelp. But she continued to chase after Gar.

Suddenly the changeling found himself on the edge of the house's extensive roof. Shahari was advancing despite multiple attacks from Shadow. Her punch hit Gar squarely in the chest. He teetered for a moment before falling off the edge of the roof.

But a hand caught his. He looked up and saw _Robin_ of all people holding onto his wrist. The masked man hauled him up and gave him a glare

"Don't do that, Raven would kill me if you even got hurt." he panted

"Didn't know you cared so much Rob." Gar replied.

The two former enemies grinned and turned to find a furious looking Shadow and an out of breath Holly.

"She got away again." the demon reported his eyes glowing silver with malice "It's personal now."

Robin touched his belt but Gar shook his head "Holly, any chance of explaining what's going on here?"

"To tell you the truth I don't know myself." the girl replied brushing her dark hair out of her eyes "Shadow just got real mad all of the sudden and started to leave. I told him I had to come with him and he… changed. But he didn't hurt me or anything. Just agreed to let me go as long as I made sure to stay safe."

Robin relaxed if only slightly but he did remove his hand from the belt "Let's go home. Maybe Raven will have an idea of what is going on.


	19. Normal?

Chapter Nineteen: Normal?

Shadow sat on the sofa watching Holly out of the corner of his glowing eyes. The girl was looking around the common room in absolute amazement. Kid Flash was in the kitchen making some kind of snack for everyone. The Outsiders were all sprawled on the sofa still irritable from being woken up at such an ungodly hour. Robin and the Titans minus Raven were all alert and watching him (Shadow). Niki was sticking to Gar like she was glued to him

"This place is huge!" Holly exclaimed finishing her self guided tour of the common room and sitting on the sofa.

"Alright everyone, I have ham and cheese sandwiches for the Outsiders, Star, Jinx, Robin, Holly, Niki, and Shadow, ribs for Cyborg, a salad for Gar, herbal tea for Raven, and a box of Saltines and a jar of peanut butter for me." Kid Flash announced as he zoomed around the room giving everyone their respective foods.

He left Raven's tea on the table then flopped on the sofa to begin chomping through his crackers and peanut butter.

"Food!" Jason exclaimed waking up from his unconscious state of sleep.

Beside him Jessica rolled her eyes and chewed on her sandwich.

As everyone ate in silence Gar examined Shadow. Actually the demon had said his name was Shade. And right now he wasn't trying to kill anyone so that was an improvement

"I have it!" Raven's voice exclaimed. Gar gave a cry and flipped off the back of the sofa where he'd been perched.

The act released the tension in the room. Everyone started laughing at him. Even Shade joined in the laughter.

"Oh go ahead laugh your heads off, just remember this when you find a slimy frog under all of your pillows tonight." Gar grumbled his feet sticking up in the air.

Raven shook her head then flicked her hand. Gar was raised back up onto the sofa by an invisible force "Anyway as I was saying I think I've found a solution to our problems."

"Our problems?" Shade asked raising a black eyebrow

"Okay, your and Shadow's problems." Raven consented. She opened her book carefully "I found a spell that will allow… well basically it will eliminate the need for you to take souls."

Shade cocked his head "I see… and did it ever cross your mind that maybe I never needed to?"

"But-."

"Shadow's 'need' was fueled by my hate for mortals. Everywhere I've ever been people have been afraid of me. But none of you were even frightened."

"That depends on what you mean by frightened." Jessica said rubbing her shoulder with a slight shudder.

"… I suppose you have the right to be afraid Jessica. Anyway I think Shadow and I can come… to an agreement. If not for our sakes then for someone else's." he glanced at Holly who blushed and averted her gaze. Shade smirked slightly and stood "If you don't mind I'd like to be alone for a while."

Gar shrugged "The roof's all yours man. But you might approach Shadow a little carefully. He might just try to bite your head off."

Shade chuckled and walked through the wall as a black silhouette. On the couch Holly yawned a little. Jinx and Robyn stood "You can stay with me Holly." the blonde said already walking through the doors. The other two girls jogged after her.

Raven let out a soft sigh and sank onto the sofa. She was exhausted and starving. Sipping her tea she glanced longingly at the kitchen. Her stomach growled begging for food but she was too tired to get up and make something even if she _was_ starving.

"Waffles?" Gar asked with a playful grin.

"If I had enough energy I'd kill you right now." Raven retorted.

"Waffles it is then." the changeling said.

Niki who had been silent the whole time watched Gar go into the kitchen then looked at Raven "I thought he was your boyfriend. Why would you want to kill him?" she asked innocently.

In a swivel chair Robin spewed his drink everywhere and stared at the Goth psychic with an open mouth "What?"

Raven cleared her throat slightly and Niki shrank away looking embarrassed. From the kitchen Gar came out carrying a plate of waffles. Seeing Robin's glare he gulped. He was in trouble with a capital T. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess someone just let a cat out of the bag?" he asked setting the tray down on the coffee table.

"Yes," Raven replied quietly. She glanced at Niki who was quivering slightly "Don't worry about it squirt, it was bound to happen."

Robin finally calmed down enough to talk in a normal voice "So it was Gar I saw on the security camera." Raven nodded "Why did you lie!"

"Oh for Ryut's sake Robin! This is ridiculous!" Starfire exclaimed "So what if Raven and Garfield are having a relationship? You have settled your differences."

"That was before I knew he was getting into the Tower behind my back." Robin growled glaring at the green man

"Robin, stop. The past can not be altered. I do not see what is so wrong about this." Starfire argued pressing the young man back into his chair with gentle but strong hands.

Raven sighed and glared at the plate of waffles "This is all your fault you know." she snapped. The food of course did not reply just sat there soaking up syrup and getting cold.

Robin had to smile at the bad humor "I guess I am overreacting. It's just… everything's happening so fast. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Welcome to my world." Gar replied relaxing now that his former leader wasn't ready to bite his head off. He smiled at Starfire "You still have the power over him Dudette." he praised.

The alien princess just smiled in reply and left the room her long hair swishing quietly. Robin watched her go then yawned

"Well I'm going to sleep for about six hours." he announced getting up and walking out the door his eyes already half closed.

Gar shrugged "That was weird."

"Very."

Raven glanced at the sparse collection of teenagers. Kid Flash was sprawled out on the floor behind the sofa, long since asleep. Jessica was sleeping with her head on Jason's shoulder, his head rested on top of hers. Cyborg was snoring with his head tucked into his metallic chest

"Come here you." Gar growled.

Raven let out a soft shriek of laughter as the changeling scooped her up in his arms. She wound her arms around his neck to keep from falling

"Do you think things will be normal now?" she asked as her lover carried her down the halls to her room

"No, Shahari's still on the loose. She'll be back to get me again. But right now I don't want to worry about her or anything else." as he spoke Gar opened Raven's door and stepped into the enveloping darkness of the room "It's just you and me and no one else."

Behind them the door slid closed just as Raven's cloak was dropped to the floor.

(Okay the waffle thing was my lame attempt at humor. And no the series isn't over yet! I think two chapters more at max. This is the longest fic I've ever done! Yayness for me! Anyway tell me how you think Shari should go down. I'm not going to kill her FYI. I was thinking of putting her in an asylum instead… plz R&R.)

(Sorry for the shortness)


	20. Showdown!

Chapter Twenty: Showdown

_6:56am_

Gar groaned a little as he woke up. It was dark; even for Raven's room. And he didn't seem to be on the bed anymore.

Shrugging it off the changeling stretched then frowned. When had he gotten back into his clothes? Unless Raven had dressed him…

A crimson hue overtook the young man's face as he remembered the events of last night. It was a good thing Raven had insisted on her room being soundproof inside and out. Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts he noticed he was wearing some kind of collar. And not his normal leather bands that he wore. This one was heavy and it had spikes, only… they were turned inward. Touching the strange object that had found its way around his throat it dawned on him, slowly but surely.

He wasn't in Raven's room anymore.

_7:14am Titans Tower_

Raven's eyes flickered open and she turned over. To her surprise Gar wasn't in the bed with her. Where could he have gone to?

Quickly pulling on clothes and her cloak she walked downstairs. Maybe he'd already gotten up to eat. It was almost nine.

Walking into the main room she scanned the room. Shade was sitting at the breakfast table absorbed in a newspaper. Everyone else, except for Gar, was sitting at various tables eating.

"Has anyone seen Gar this morning?" she asked glancing over the large group. Everyone shook their heads

"I have not seen him." Starfire reported taking a pot of… something off the stove. As whatever-it-was inside moved the alien princess slammed the lid on and began yelling at the thing in Tameranian.

"I can look for him if you wish." Shade offered looking up from the paper.

Raven shook her head "No I'll go look. Thank you though." the Goth floated over to the large window and settled down. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." she whispered. Her empathic senses weaved through out the Tower searching for Gar's familiar aurora. Strangely it was no where to be found.

'_Raven!'_ the voice screamed so loudly it knocked Raven backwards into the couch. _Pain, Hatred, Pain, Fury, Pain, Rage! 'Raven!'_

Raven whimpered at the onslaught of emotions. They battered at her walls and literally tore through her psyche. In Nevermore her emotions cried out at the desperation in the voice. Someone was lashing out; trying to contact her. And Raven had a good idea of who it was.

_7:30am Somewhere under Jump City_

Gar slumped to his knees desperately trying to claw the collar off. But each time he tried the electric shocks that riddled his body increased in power.

In his mind's eye he saw Raven's broken body lying battered and bruised on the rooftop. And when he looked down his silver gloves were stained crimson.

"It's not real; it's not real." the changeling whimpered '_Mind over matter. Raven's safe at the Tower._' he told himself

"It seems you're stronger than I thought Garfield." the familiar female voice sneered "But soon the collar's voltage will grow too high and you will die. And you can not turn into an animal; the spikes will pierce your skin and kill you. There is no escape Garfield." Shahari laughed as she watched the young man writher in pain.

But then Gar's pupils shrank until they vanished into the white of his eye. Shahari ground her teeth, was he just going to kill him self quickly? She wanted his death to be painful and long. It was what he deserved.

The man's body enlarged until it was about as big as a large gorilla. Green fur covered his entire body and the distinct sound of cloth ripping could be heard. The collar gave one last shock to the massive animal before bursting off and landing at Shahari's feet.

The Beast gave an enraged roar and charged slamming the surprised woman into a wall. There was a sickening crack and Shahari screamed.

The Beast back up and was about to ram her again when a black portal appeared. Raven and the others all stepped out

"Gar! Don't!" Raven exclaimed "Don't hurt her anymore!" she pleaded, praying to Azar that the furious animal would listen.

The Beast's lip lifted in a growl as he stared at the broken body of Shari Simon. Then he walked over to Raven and… _licked her face!_

The half demon froze in surprise as the licking continued. Everyone else stared at her then burst out laughing.

"Dude that is the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my entire life!" Jason gasped through high pitched laughter.

Raven glared at the group and was nearly knocked over as the Beast nuzzled her face gently. It was purring, deeply and loudly.

"Okay Gar," she muttered blushing furiously "That's enough." she tried to say. But the Beast just continued with its display of affection.

Everyone finally stopped laughing and Robin grimly sized up the situation. Cyborg ran a test of Shari. She was fine; mostly her wounds were cuts and two broken ribs.

"I said enough!" Raven protested trying to get away from Gar's primal form without much success.

_Gar knew he was still the Beast but he was too happy to change back into a human. He also knew Raven was getting really annoyed with him but that changed nothing._

_Finally stopping his licking and purring the massive beast settled to standing beside Raven inhaling her sent._

_She was _his. _No one could ever have her. They would always be together. No matter what._

(Okay I know the end really didn't live up to everything else. I'm sorry. But I want to get this thing finished! There will be one more chapter and then…)


	21. Epilogue

Chapter Twenty One: Epilogue

Gar sighed in content as he wrapped his arms around Raven's thin waist. The half demon giggled slightly "Don't do that!"

"What this?" Gar teased breathing in her ear again. Raven shrieked and thumped him in the head with a pillow.

The changeling growled playfully and tackled her. They fell down on the bed together with Raven on top of Gar's chest.

"We really should get up." Raven whispered as she rubbed the changeling behind his pointed ears.

Gar purred and rolled over so they were on their sides "What if I don't want to?" he asked nuzzling her neck sending chills up the half demon's spine.

"You are impossible to deal with sometimes." Raven replied letting the shape shifter pull her closer.

Seven months had passed since Shari Simon had been captured. She currently resided in an insane asylum in nearby Gotham City.

Her daughter Niki had been adopted by none other than Garfield Mark Logan. She lived at the Tower, training her powers under his care.

Gar had done two months of jail time for his brutal attack on Shahari. He'd met Changeling during the short visit and the young man was staying with Titans East as a computer technician.

Since his return to the Tower Gar had noticed that Robin still could not stand to be alone in the same room with him. And the masked man jumped around the Outsiders as well.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Raven whispered pulling Gar back to the land of the living

"Just thinking about Robin."

Raven sighed "He'll get used to it after awhile." she told him gently "Give him time."

"Maybe the Outsiders… should go back to the mountains."

"Gar, you… you'd stay here wouldn't you?" Raven begged sitting up and staring down at the green skinned man

"Well… I'd go back and forth but I… I could stay here at night. If you want me to." his emerald eyes flickered up to Raven "Maybe having less people in the Tower will help."

"Okay, but you," Raven jabbed a finger in his chest "Are going to stay where I can keep an eye on you. No more running for you Mr. Logan."

"Why Raven, why would I go anywhere?" Gar teased "I've got Niki and you to take care of."

They sat in silence for a little bit longer then it was shattered by a knock on the door. Raven gestured and it opened.

Niki ran in and leapt up onto the bed "Gar, it's almost noon! Aren't you going to get up?" she whined.

Gar glanced over at the bedside clock and yelped. "Why didn't you come get me earlier?" he demanded scrambling up from the bed and pulling on a sweatshirt and jeans

"Shade said not to." Niki replied pulling one of Raven's cloaks from the closet and putting it on. She raised her arms and yelled "Fear me!"

Raven laughed and grabbed the young girl "Oh yes All Mighty Mistress, we tremble in fear of your wrath."

Gar shook his head and pulled the green cloak up from the floor. He clasped it around his throat and scooped Niki up on his shoulders

"Come on squirt, let's see how much the twerps tease me today." he said ducking to get under the door.

Raven watched him go then touched the penny around her throat. It had been good luck for both of them but… how long would it last?


End file.
